Two First Nations men dead following police involved shootings in Ontario

For the second time in a little over a week, a First Nations man in northern Ontario is dead following a police involved shooting. According to an Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) press release, on July 31 members of the Sioux Lookout detachment “Interacted with an individual armed with a knife on Wapekeka First Nation. “During the interaction, an officer discharged their firearm. As a result, the armed individual was pronounced deceased at the scene.” The incident took place in the community’s courthouse according to the Canadian Press. The OPP said it has notified the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), a provincial police watchdog that investigates incidents where members of the public in Ontario are injured or killed after interacting with police. The man has not been named. Son of Bruce Frogg shot and killed Eric Nothing, left, with his father Brucc Frogg in an undated photo courtesy of the family. The SIU and the OPP are both investigating the July 22 fatal shooting of a man in Deer Lake First Nation, located 580 kilometres northwest of Thunder Bay. Family members have identified the deceased Eric Nothing, 40. Nothing is the son of the late Bruce Frogg who was shot and killed by an OPP officer at Anicinabe Park in Kenora, Ont., on June 25, 2024. Last month, the SIU cleared police of any criminal wrongdoing in Bruce Frogg’s death. Read More: Family of Bruce Frogg ‘heartbroken’ that police cleared of criminal wrongdoing According to the SIU, Nishnawbe Aski Police Service (NAPS) officers went to a residence in Deer Lake First Nation with a warrant for Nothing’s arrest. Initially, the SIU stated that Nothing fled from the house. But in a follow up statement, the SIU said “based on information gathered in the course of the investigation, the man excited the home and approached the officers.” One NAPS officer “discharged his firearm at the man,” SIU said. According to the SIU, officers provided first aid and Nothing was taken to a nursing station where he died. Two investigators, and two forensic investigators, as well as an affected person coordinator, travelled to Deer Lake First Nation to investigate the incident and meet with community leaders. A funeral service will be held for Nothing on Saturday. Esther Frogg, the daughter of Bruce Frogg and sister of Eric Nothing said she has no faith in the SIU. Following the release of the SIU’s final report into the fatal shooting of her father,  Esther Frogg said the justice system had failed her family and most of all her father. At the request of the NAPS, the OPP is investigating the circumstances leading up to the incident. The OPP is seeking witnesses and video footage. The SIU is investigating the police-involved interaction. Continue Reading