5 Prince George Mounties charged in death of Indigenous man
Two RCMP officers in Prince George, B.C., have been charged with manslaughter in connec‐ tion with the 2017 death of an Indigenous man, Crown prosecutors announced Wednesday.
Another three have been charged with attempting to obstruct justice related to the events immediately after Dale Culver's death in police cus‐ tody on July 18, 2017, accord‐ ing to a news release from the B.C. Prosecution Service.
Manslaughter charges have been sworn against Con‐ st. Paul Ste-Marie and Const. Jean Francois Monette, while Const. Arthur Dalman, Const. Clarence (Alex) Alexander MacDonald and Sgt. Bayani (Jon) Eusebio Cruz face at‐ tempted obstruction charges.
According to B.C. RCMP spokesperson Dawn Roberts, Ste-Marie, Monette, Dalman and Cruz remain on active du‐ ty, subject to ongoing assess‐ ment, while Macdonald is on administrative leave for rea‐ sons unrelated to Culver's death.
Culver, 35, was a father of three and a member of the Wet'suwet'en and Gitxsan First Nations, according to family members.
His death led to allega‐ tions of anti-Indigenous racism in policing and was a focus during a number of protests in northern B.C. fol‐ lowing the murder of George Floyd in 2020.
On Thursday, Culver's fam‐ ily members said they wel‐ comed the charges but were disappointed the investiga‐ tion has taken years.
"We have been in the dark throughout much of this process," Lily-Speed Namox, Culver's eldest daughter, said in a statement issued by the B.C. Civil Liberties Association (BCCLA).
"We want the public to know how difficult it has been for us since my dad was killed. We are making plans amongst ourselves to speak directly to the press in the coming weeks as we prepare for court pro‐ ceedings to begin."
The charges come after an investigation by the Indepen‐ dent Investigations Office of B.C., which forwarded a report to Crown in May 2020, asking prosecutors to consider charges against the five offi‐ cers.
In a written statement on Wednesday, Roberts said the force fully co-operated with the IIO investigation and sup‐ ports independent reviews of police incidents but also ques‐ tioned the length of the process to date.
"We do have concerns re‐ garding the nearly six-year timeline in this instance though as it put undue stress on the man's family, our members and their families, and the community which has been looking for clarity and answers on what oc‐ curred," Roberts said.
She declined to comment further while the case is be‐ fore the courts.
Family 'cautiously opti‐ mistic': BCAFN
Terry Teegee, Regional Chief with the B.C. Assembly of First Nations described the charges as a "welcome devel‐ opment."
He said he spoke to Cul‐ ver's family on Wednesday.
"The family is cautiously optimistic," he said. However, he added, this development may be retraumatizing for those close to him.
Teegee said this case speaks more broadly to how racialized people are treated in custody.
"The whole policing sys‐ tem in Canada definitely needs a review," he said.
"We need justice for our people and for the people that have died in custody."
Allegations of racial bias by officers
The IIO has said RCMP were called to the 1000 block of Central Street West after re‐ ports of a man "casing vehi‐ cles."
Culver reportedly attempt‐ ed to flee on a bicycle, and a struggle ensued between him and the officers. An IIO report said pepper spray was used against Culver during the ar‐ rest, and he was placed in the back of a police cruiser.
Culver started having trou‐ ble breathing shortly after‐ ward, and paramedics were called. He collapsed when tak‐ en out of the police car and was pronounced dead in hos‐ pital shortly after midnight.
Charges 'surprising,' dev‐ astating
The BCCLA said it's rare for a situation of this nature to end up with charges being pursued by the Crown.
"We're honestly sur‐ prised," BCCLA policy director Meghan McDermott said, adding that these charges are also devastating and retrau‐ matizing for Culver's loved ones.
"[The charges] vali‐ date that Dale Culver should still be alive with his family and his friends."
McDermott said the BC‐ CLA will be making a state‐ ment on behalf of the family on Thursday.
In 2018, the BCCLA filed a formal complaint with the Civilian Review and Com‐ plaints Commission for the RCMP, alleging Mounties had told witnesses to delete video footage of Culver's arrest.
The association also ques‐ tioned whether "explicit or im‐ plicit racial bias" had played a role in what happened. The complaint said the BCCLA was told there were "several hours" between the initial call to police and the arrival of RCMP on the scene, raising questions about whether Cul‐ ver was approached because he was Indigenous.
A first court appearance for all of the charged officers has been scheduled for March 14.