RCMP warn of active shooter in Nunavut community of Clyde River

Dec 17, 2020 | 8:35 AM

CLYDE RIVER, Nunavut — RCMP say officers are responding to an active shooter in the Nunavut community of Clyde River.

A short news release from police advises people to remain in their homes until they are told they can leave.

There is no immediate word on whether anyone has been hurt.

Clyde River has a population of about 1,000 and is on the northeast shore of Baffin Island.

Resident John Corkett says he heard gun shots about 9 a.m.

He says he didn’t think anything of it because people are often shooting to scare away polar bears.

“We didn’t think of it as an incident,” Corkett said in a phone interview Thursday.

“We’re under lockdown. There’s nobody on the streets, nothing. The word has got out from the RCMP — shelter in place.”

Clyde River, also known as Kangiqtugaapik in Inuktitut, which means “nice little inlet,” sits in a scenic fiord landscape of the Baffin Mountains. The community’s website says the area attracts rock and ice climbers from around the world.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 17, 2020.

The Canadian Press