Treaty 3 Grand Chief Diane Kelly expressed “shock and frustration”

TREATY 3 GRAND CHIEF DIANE KELLY
expressed “shock and frustration,” reports the Montreal Gazette, at an award given to a Kenora Police officer who was involved in the shooting of a First Nations woman. Helen Proulx, 39, was shot by the officer after responding to a domestic call. Witnesses said the officer tried to convince the woman to give up the knife, but she advanced toward the officer. Proulx suffered injuries to her arm and pelvis, but later recovered. Ontario Provincial Police Commissioner Chris Lewis gave a citation for bravery to the officer for her handling of the situation. Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit cleared the officer of wrongdoing, saying she was justified in her use of force. But Kelly said in a press release “Efforts to improve the lives of Anishinaabe people in the Kenora area and build positive relations with the OPP are impeded by these types of announcements.” OPP Insp. Dave Ross said the officer received the award for her “overall actions” during the incident, writes the Gazette. “This particular officer received (the) commissioner’s citation for bravery for her actions, so that’s not necessarily in relation to discharge of a firearm,” he said. “That’s in relation to her overall actions in protecting the life of bystanders and of herself in a volatile situation.”