It’s taken almost a year for an Ontario Provincial Police officer to be formally charged in the death of Chippewa protester Dudley George.
It all started at Ipperwash provincial park. Last year, Natives occupied the park saying it is a sacred burial ground. The SWAT team was ordered in and two of the protesters were shot.
Nicholas Cottrell, 15, was hit in the back with a pistol round and wounded, according to witnesses. George, 30, was killed, reportedly hit by two .223 rounds from a police gun.
Acting Sgt. Kenneth Deene was charged with criminal negligence causing death on July 23. It is still unknown whether or not Deane fired the shot that killed George.
The George family is far from happy with the news and says it wants a public inquiry. The family wants a few things looked into that they say a court case may not look at.
Key accusations by Natives attending the rally are that the OPP may have been drinking on duty, made racial slurs against the demonstrators, had Armed Forces military equipment on standby, and that the OPP had clearance from high government officials and even cabinet members that authorized the use of force.
They say that the one officer who was charged is just a scapegoat and that more than one person was involved in this.
They should also be held accountable.
The government of Ontario has been slapped with a $7-million dollar wrongful death lawsuit, but the family says they are willing to drop the case if a satisfactory public inquiry is held.
Andy Orkin, one of the George family lawyers, expressed outrage at the fact that Officer Deane would be allowed to continue working.
“If there is a suspicion that a police officer committed a serious crime, he should not continue in his role as a member of the force,” Orkin stated.
OPP Police Commissioner Thomas O’Grady said that while Keane will still be on duty, he will be dealing with non-operational training and duties of that nature. O’Grady said that they have done this in the past and it is a wise move given the stress Deene is under.
