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5 people arrested after liquid poured on Victoria police chief at memorial for Chantel Moore

VicPD Chief Del Manak says he is still processing ‘cowardly incident’
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Victoria Police Department (VicPD) Chief Del Manak said he is still processing an incident Saturday afternoon during which a woman poured liquid on him from behind. (Black Press Media file)

Five people have been arrested after a woman poured liquid on the backside of Victoria Police Department Chief Del Manak during a memorial for Chantel Moore – an Indigenous woman from B.C. who was fatally shot by police last year.

Manak was attending the event at theB.C. Legislature at the invitation of Moore’s mother, VicPD said in a statement. Manak did not suffer physical harm during assault, which happened at 2 p.m. after a blanketing ceremony.

The five people taken into custody have since been released and no charges have been laid at this time.

Manak said on social media he will not let this “cowardly incident” define him or VicPD officers at large. The assault, which was captured on video, was condemned by Moore’s mother, who called it “terrible and unacceptable.”

Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps and Esquimalt Mayor Barbara Desjardins said in a joint statement that the act has upset and saddened them.

“We recognize that there is a long history of mistrust between police in Canada and Indigenous communities. We know that there is a lot of healing to do. That is precisely why the Chief was invited by Moore’s family to participate in the memorial; he has been working closely with them since her death and they immediately and publicly denounced this act of violence against the Chief Manak.”

Police shot and killed the 26-year-old Moore from Port Alberni on June 4, 2020, in Edmunston, N.B. during a wellness check. Authorities did not file criminal charges against the involved officers after finding that they had acted “reasonable under the circumstances.” According to police, Moore was threatening the officers with a knife.

The memorial at the B.C. Legislature was part of a larger event featuring several hundred people drawing attention to Moore’s specific case and relations between police and Indigenous Canadians.

VicPD said in a release that it has been working closely with local Indigenous communities to rebuild trust and understanding through anti-stigma training from Indigenous youth, participation in events and ceremonies with the Aboriginal Coalition to End Homelessness and other learning opportunities.

“We call on everyone in the community to stand down from attacks and to express differences of opinion respectfully and in a way that will help to build understanding and allow much needed-healing to happen,” it reads.

RELATED: Mother still seeking answers a year after Chantel Moore killed by N.B. police


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wolfgang.depner@peninsulanewsreview.com



Wolf Depner

About the Author: Wolf Depner

I joined the national team with Black Press Media in 2023 from the Peninsula News Review, where I had reported on Vancouver Island's Saanich Peninsula since 2019.
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