A wellness check at a Whitehorse apartment building on April 20 turned into a 17-hour standoff with an armed man who barricaded his door.
The incident in the Whistle Bend neighbourhood was resolved by 4:25 p.m. on April 20 but not before an officer had been stabbed and the Whitehorse RCMP had called in additional resources from northern B.C.
The police called an emergency reponse team from out of territory and a crisis negotiator team.
The officers who responded to the initial wellbeing check were met with a bladed weapon and one of them received injuries to their chest.
Inspector Lindsay Ellis, the officer in charge of the Whitehorse RCMP detachment, described the standoff as a high-risk situation for all involved.
Chief Superintendent Scott Sheppard, the Yukon RCMP’s commanding officer, echoed the sentiment.
“I’m just particularly relieved that we were able to resolve the the incident without any additional injuries or harm to the subject,” said Sheppard.
“I’m very relieved to hear that our member is going to be OK.”
Sheppard said the Yukon RCMP is receiving more and more calls relating to mental health concerns. He acknowledged that police officers are not always best suited to respond to wellness checks, but the standoff in Whistle Bend is an example of a situation unsuitable for response from paramedics, social workers or other emergency support workers alone.
The man who police arrested following the standoff faces charges of attempted murder and assault on a peace officer using a weapon.
Contact Jim Elliot at jim.elliot@yukon-news.com