Bronson Paul’s death is now under investigation by an independent police oversight agency
Neqotkuk First Nation in northeastern New Brunswick is reeling following the loss of Bronson Paul, who was killed by the RCMP on Jan. 18. In an interview with the CBC, Neqotkuk First Nation Chief Ross Perley said Paul “was a father and a friend to many here in the community,” adding “he’s someone that’s going to be missed.”
In a news release, the New Brunswick RCMP said officers “responded to a report of a domestic dispute at a residence,” where they encountered a man “armed with an edged weapon.” According to the release, after a taser was “deployed ineffectively,” “a member discharged their firearm at the man.” After receiving first aid, Paul was transported to a hospital in nearby Grand Falls, but was pronounced dead later that evening.
Paul’s aunt and godmother, Doreen Paul, told the CBC she learned of her nephew’s death through a phone call to the hospital. “I want to say to the RCMP, what gives them the right to come onto our reservations, our communities, and shoot our people?” she said. “Indigenous lives matter too. We have family that love us, we’re mothers, we’re fathers, we’re sisters, we’re grandmothers, we’re cousins, we’re all that. And it has to stop.”
Bronson Paul is one of four Indigenous People in New Brunswick killed by police in this decade. In 2020, Chantel Moore, of Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation, was killed by Edmundston police, while RCMP officers killed Rodney Levi of Metepenagiag Mi’kmaq Nation in 2020 and Steven “Iggy” Dedam of Elsipogtog First Nation in 2024. A statement on behalf of the Chiefs of the Wolastoqey Nation, of which the Neqotkuk community is a part, referenced these “tragic and heartbreaking losses,” saying “everyone must recognize this is a deep-seated issue and call it what it is: systemic racism leading to disproportionate and unnecessary deaths of Indigenous people.” Moore’s mother, Martha Martin, showed up to Neqotkuk soon after Paul’s death. “It’s horrific to think, again, we’re experiencing the loss of another Indigenous person at the hands of law enforcement,” she told a CBC reporter. “Coming up here to show love and support, there’s nowhere else I would be.”
The Serious Incident Response Team (SiRT) began investigating the shooting following a request from the New Brunswick RCMP. SiRT is an independent police oversight agency in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia that investigates whether charges should be laid against police officers in incidents involving sexual violence, serious injuries, death, or anything else deemed a matter of public interest. Investigators from the agency were in Neqotkuk, also known as Tobique First Nation, by January 19. SiRT told the CBC they had spoken with Perley and were working with the Neqotkuk First Nation to name a “community liaison.” In a statement to the CBC, SiRT spokesperson Khalehla Perrault said the person assigned to the position would “provide cultural, historical and community background advice that will help SiRT interact with and understand the needs of the Affected Party, their family, and community members.”
The SiRT team has been criticised for lacking Indigenous members. According to Perrault, the SiRT team has no members “from a First Nations community.” Perley called the lack of Indigenous representation in the investigation “concerning.” The Chiefs of the Wolastoqey Nation also critiqued the omission in their statement, saying that “investigations into incidents involving Indigenous people must include Indigenous representation on the Serious Incident Response Team (SiRT) and transparency in the process. We demand that the SiRT implement these fundamental acts of reconciliation.”
Following the shooting, the community’s RCMP detachment was closed, and mental health support was made available to the community. Addressing community members, the Chiefs’ statement said, “this is a deeply painful time. It is okay to feel grief, anger, confusion, and sorrow. These feelings reflect how deeply we care for one another. Let us be gentle, check in on one another, and support each other in the days ahead.”
Since Paul’s death, condolences have poured in from across the country, including from Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak and New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt. Paul will be remembered fondly by his family and community. “He was a funny guy, he was lovable,” said Doreen Paul. “Everybody loved him.”