Cleared in deadly shooting at Whitehorse Airport in 2022 was a Yukon RCMP officer

Independent investigators have cleared a Yukon police officer in the 2022 fatal shooting of a man who was threatening others with a rifle.

In a report from the civilian-led Alberta Serious Incident Response Team, investigators concluded that the officer who shot the man at Erik Nielsen Whitehorse International Airport was “acting properly in the execution of his duties.”

The incident occurred on November 24, 2022, when a man with a rifle followed an airline employee past a security gate, pointed the gun at another individual, and pulled the trigger, though the rifle did not discharge.

The man then pointed the weapon at his own chin and attempted to fire again, but it also failed to discharge.

According to the report, the suspect subsequently assaulted a tractor driver, striking him and using the rifle against him before entering a hangar and firing at least one shot into the air.

When the RCMP arrived, the suspect ignored commands to stop and drop the weapon, and he urged police to shoot him. One officer then fired two shots, resulting in the man's death.

Michael Ewenson, executive director of the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team, noted in the report that “a police officer is justified in doing what he or she is authorized to do and to use as much force as is reasonably necessary where he or she has reasonable grounds to do so.”

He added that “force intended to cause death or grievous bodily harm is justified if the officer believes, on reasonable grounds, that the force was necessary to prevent the death or grievous bodily harm of the officer and/or any other person.”