South Sudanese community in Canada is mourning one of their members who was shot and killed by Canadian Police yesterday. According to community members, Latjor Tuel suffered from post-traumatic stress and other mental health issues as a result of his experience as a child soldier in South Sudan.
“I don’t know what to say as it all feels unreal. My father was an amazing man who could make anyone laugh on their worst day. Regardless of anything he never deserved to die the way he did”, said his daughter Nyaliath Latjor .
She added that the police are already trying to cover the incident so that they don’t have to answer for a crime but the video proof is there.
“The police said he had a weapon when it was a stick. They say they negotiated with him when they didn’t talk longer than a minute while he was already sitting down on the sidewalk. They could have used a pepper spray or something else instead of unleashing a trained dog on him and shooting him five times,” the daughter tearfully said.
Community members remember him as a kind and caring person.
“This is a sad day for us”, said a community leader identified as Top Khor.
The incident is now being investigated by Alberta’s policing watchdog, the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT). Police said that while the incident remains under investigation, no further information will be released.
