There’s a call from area First Nation leaders for Thunder Bay City Police Chief J.P. Levesque to resign.
It follows the release of an independent review into the 2015 death of Rainy River First Nation resident Stacy DeBungee in the city which is highly critical of the way police handled the case.
Julian Falconer, the lawyer representing the DeBungee family, notes how quick police were to dismiss the death as “non-criminal” before an autopsy was done on the body and the failure to protect the scene.
Alvin Fiddler, the Grand Chief of the Nishnawbe Aski Nation, claims the review shows the “glaring mistakes that were made” as part of the probe.
Rainy River First Nation Chief Robin McGinnis calls it a shameless disrespect for the victim.
However, don’t expect to hear any statement from city police in relation to DeBungee’s death.
The Thunder Bay Police Service says they aren’t allowed to say anything about the report for confidentiality reasons.
They say while a misconduct hearing is recommended, there has been no formal notice given to the officers involved.