Shot woman's family is furious about being shut out

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The family of a Samson Cree Nation woman and her son who were killed by a police shotgun blast on the Tsuu T'ina reserve near Calgary, say they are being treated poorly in what they believe is fast becoming a political minefield.

Since Connie Jacobs and her son Ty were shot and killed after a confrontation with the Okotoks RCMP at a home on the Tsuu T'ina Reserve on March 22, the family has heard little information from Tsuu T'ina band officials, the RCMP or the Assembly of First Nations.

Cynthia Applegarth, the slain woman's sister, didn't even know the house where Jacobs was killed had been demolished by the Tsuu T'ina band until a friend told her she had watched it come down on television.

Applegarth thinks the house should have remained if it is to be a part of any investigation which RCMP, band officials and the Assembly of First Nations have promised the family.

The family's biggest question is why did the police officer decide to shoot Jacobs, also killing her nine-year-old son. The family wants to know if Jacobs fired the gun that she was holding. Those questions have not been answered.

"How, with the house gone, am I ever going to know that they are telling me the truth about their investigation," she said.

Adding insult to injury, Applegarth said her family was at the Tsuu T'ina First Nation just four days before the house, and six other condemned buildings, were torn down. Nobody told her of the planned demolition, and the debris was cleared before she could get there.

"There's not even any rubble left there," said Applegarth three days after the April 24 demolition.

Jacobs' family wants to know why Connie's husband, a Tsuu T'ina band member, was allowed to go to the house and remove items belonging to him, but Jacobs' family was not informed.

A friend watching the house come down on a television news report told Applegarth pictures were still hanging on the walls as the building was brought down.

"There was still clothing in there and family keepsakes," she said .

Any contact with Connie's husband has not been possible, said Applegarth.

His silence, the destruction of the house and the lack of any information about what happened the day her sister and nephew were killed is leading Applegarth and her family to believe something is very wrong.

"There's just so many fishy angles to this whole thing. I just smell a rat," she said bluntly.

Calgary area RCMP say they have completed their investigation in to the shooting and have forwarded their findings to the Crown Prosecutors office. It is there that any decision to lay charges will be made.

An internal investigation has also been commenced by the RCMP, which is standard procedure when an officer is involved in a shooting. Timelines for the release of information from the internal investigation or the prosecutor's findings were not available.

From Ottawa, Assembly of First Nations Grand Chief Phil Fontaine said the assembly's legal council has been on the scene and spoken with the family. He did not know which family members had been spoken to however.

He said the Tsuu T'ina Nation and the assembly are currently negotiating with government officials to allow for an independent special inquiry into the shooting.

Fontaine said if the family of Jacobs haven't received any information it may be because there is none to give out.

"You report when there is something to report," he said, adding that he intends to have the family informed as soon as any progress is made with the negotiations. "Our prime concern is for the family. We are treating [the negotiations] with urgency."

He said the assembly stands behind the promise it made to the family to find out all the answers.

"It's a firm commitment and we are not going to back off from that," he said.

Tsuu T'ina spokesman Peter Manywounds said little has been done because they too are waiting for the criminal investigation report.

"From our perspective, we are waiting like everyone else," he said.

Manywounds said ban representative have met with Samson band officials and are trying to set up a communications protocol with them, but said so far, he hasn't heard from Jacobs' family.

Tsuu T'ina band officials believed the family would have talked to Jacobs' husband about the demolition of the house. If the two families aren't on speaking terms, that isn't the band's concern, he said.

He said the house was scheduled to be torn down last Sept. After checking with police and the AFN, the band was assured the house was not needed further for any part of the investigation.

"Everybody said they were done," he said.

Manywounds said the Tsuu T'ina band shares the grief of the Jacobs family over the incident. He said many band members have received counseling to help them deal with the tragedy.

"It's been very traumatic, not just for the family, but for everyone else here," he said. "Things are still very emotional. There's still a lot of hurt."

The Jacobs family may be handling their hurt through legal channels. They are examining civil action against people involved with the tragedy. That way, said Applegarth, it may take a subpoena, but the family will get the answers they need.