A one-block section of 50 Street in downtown Yellowknife remained cordoned off by RCMP early Wednesday evening while what appears to be a human body under a blanket laid prone on the road next to a police cruiser.
Security camera from Northern News Services captured the entire incident although the scene was partially obscured by police vehicles.
At about 3:12 p.m. a man wearing a blue jacket can be seen walking across the parking lot of the Outpost, formerly the Northerrn Lites Motel, and behind a white van that had recently backed up in front of the entrance to a ground floor unit. The van leaves and a man wearing a black jacket, black boots and white sweat pants emerges from the right side of the frame and interacts with the man wearing the blue jacket who opens and closes the door to a red-coloured car.
The men appear to argue before the man with the black jacket, who appears unsteady on his feet, throws an object in the other man's direction and then walks towards an alley on the west side of the building. He then re-emerges and interacts with the man in the blue jacket a second time. The men argue for several minutes before a third person emerges from the bottom-floor unit, who then ushers the man in the black jacket to leave the area.
The man then walks in the direction of the former Sobering Centre, and argues some more with the third individual who is standing at least 30 feet away from him. The man in the black jacket then walks toward the red vehicle once more an out of frame. He lingers a while before turning toward the former Sobering Centre once more and then heads back toward the red car.
At about 3:30 an RCMP vehicle drives onto the scene and stops besides the man with the black jacket in from of the Sober Centre. Two RCMP officers emerge from the vehicle. One goes to speak with the man in the blue jacket and they walk together towards the alley. Another officer appears to be talking to the man in the black jacket. A short while later he is arrested and placed in the RCMP cruiser.
About 15 minutes later, officers notice something is amiss and take the man out of the vehicle. An officer was observed observed giving chest compressions to the man as multiple police officers and an ambulance descended on the scene in front of the former Sobering Centre. Emergency personale tended to the man for about 30 minutes.
A body was still present on the scene next to the police vehicle at around 6 p.m. while a few remaining officers kept guard over the area.
Police had cordoned off the street at around 4 p.m. from the intersection with 51 Street to 52 Street to the south, preventing any other vehicles from entering the area.
An RCMP officer was observed taking photos at the Outpost around 6 p.m. An RCMP vehicle was seen parked outside a bottom floor unit of the Outpost the following morning.
NNSL will provide updates when more information is available.
