Cree Nation community in Quebec on lockdown after fatal shooting

By Allison Lampert and David Ljunggren

MONTREAL/ OTTAWA, Jan 29 (Reuters) – The Cree Nation of Mistissini in Quebec was on lockdown on Thursday following a shooting that police said left two people dead and was related to organized crime and drugs.

Chief Michael Petawabano, the leader of the Cree community, said in a Facebook post that all community buildings, schools and offices were closed and that police were conducting an active investigation.

“We ask all community members to remain calm, stay indoors, and cooperate fully with police as they conduct their investigation. We will provide updates as more information becomes available,” he said.

A spokesperson for Quebec’s provincial police force said that two men in their 30s were found dead on Wednesday night and that the incident appeared to be related to organized crime and drugs.

Mass violence and shootings are rare in Canada, which has stricter gun laws than the neighboring U.S.

Levels of violence in Canada’s remote and marginalized First Nations, where living conditions are often poor, are higher than in the rest of the country.

In 2022, a man on an indigenous reserve in the province of Saskatchewan knifed 11 people to death and wounded 17 others before dying of a cocaine overdose.

(Additional reporting by Doina Chiacu and Katharine Jackson; writing by Costas Pitas; editing by Scott Malone, Alexandra Hudson)