Less than five minutes elapsed between the arrival of two RCMP officers in the remote island First Nations community of Opitsaht and the fatal shooting of a Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation man, as indicated by one of the officers. Cpl. Daniel Macintosh testified during a coroner’s inquest into the death of Julian Jones that they were called to the island around 9 p.m. PT on Feb. 27, 2021, to investigate reports of a woman being assaulted and confined in a residence.
Macintosh’s testimony marked the first account of Jones’s final moments presented to the seven-person inquest jury. The purpose of the inquest is to probe the circumstances surrounding Jones’s death and develop recommendations to prevent similar incidents, rather than assigning blame or criminal culpability.
Although Const. David Robichaud, who fired the shots leading to Jones’s death, was summoned to testify, he retired from the RCMP and relocated out of the province, declining to participate in the proceedings. The Independent Investigations Office did not advocate for charges against the officers following an inquiry.
Jones, who had previous convictions for various offenses, including assaulting a Tofino RCMP officer, was prohibited from contacting several RCMP officers, including Robichaud, as confirmed by his parole officer David Paruk. The events at the Opitsaht residence transpired swiftly, with Macintosh recounting that the home was dark upon their arrival and that they heard distress calls, male voices, and sounds of furniture being moved from inside.
The situation escalated when Robichaud arrested John Lucas Jr., Jones’s brother, prompting Jones to emerge from the residence and confront the officers. Despite verbal warnings from Macintosh to drop what appeared to be knives, Jones advanced towards the officers. Subsequently, Robichaud discharged a Taser at Jones, who then rose and continued moving towards the officers.
Macintosh, expressing concern for his safety for the first time in his career, recounted drawing his pistol, but Robichaud fired at Jones before he could act. As Jones persisted in advancing, Robichaud discharged two additional shots. Following the shooting, Jones’s mother, Carol Manson, rushed to him, while Macintosh retrieved metal objects from Jones’s possession, which were later identified as two flat metal files.
Despite attempts to stem the bleeding, Macintosh refrained from providing first aid to Jones, fearing that his actions might exacerbate the situation due to apparent chest injuries. Reflecting on the incident, Macintosh mentioned that the woman who reported the assault could have left the residence upon the officers’ arrival, potentially leading to a different outcome.
Macintosh also highlighted the possibility of a second Taser as an alternative course of action. Robichaud, who had intentions of transferring out of the Tofino RCMP, expedited his departure from the community shortly after the shooting. The inquest proceedings are set to continue on Thursday.