B.C. man fatally shot by RCMP identified, Anonymous vows revenge

Graphic: Anonymous First Nations/Native Americans Facebook page.

The Globe and Mail, July 20, 2015

A man whose death in a police shooting in northern British Columbia has prompted threats of retaliation from the online hacktivist group Anonymous has been identified.

The provincial coroners’ service says James Daniel McIntyre, a 48-year-old resident of Dawson Creek, B.C., was killed last Thursday evening. McIntyre was shot after he was confronted by RCMP officers outside an information session related to the Site C hydroelectric dam.

People claiming to be part of Anonymous said over the weekend that the victim was a member of a First Nations cell of Anonymous who was wearing a Guy Fawkes mask.

The hackers collective claimed responsibility for taking the RCMP’s website offline for several hours on Sunday, and the group also threatened to publish the name and personal information about the officer involved in the shooting.

Police were called to a hotel in Dawson Creek after reports that someone was disrupting a public meeting about the Site C dam, a massive hydroelectric project that has been opposed by environmentalists and some First Nations groups.

The man who had caused the disturbance had left by the time officers arrived, said B.C.’s Independent Investigations Office, which investigates police-related incidents, but officers crossed paths with a masked man outside the hotel.

Police have released few details about what prompted the shooting. Kellie Kirkpatrick, a spokeswoman for B.C.’s Independent Investigations Office, which handles serious cases involving police officers, said a knife was found at at the scene.

A member of Anonymous told the Globe and Mail in an email over the weekend that the officer shot “the wrong person” and that McIntyre was attempting to comply with the officer’s orders to drop a pocket knife before he was shot.

In a cellphone video of the aftermath of the takedown, two RCMP officers point their guns at a man lying on the sidewalk outside the hotel restaurant.

One of the officers gets closer and kicks away an object that was on the ground.

Anonymous posted photos on Twitter that appeared to be of the shooting scene, showing a man on the ground with a Guy Fawkes mask.

Last month, hackers claiming to be from Anonymous disabled a number of federal government websites and e-mail servers, to protest the passage of C-51, the anti-terror legislation that gives more powers to intelligence and security agencies.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/bc-man-fatally-shot-by-rcmp-identified-anonymous-vows-revenge/article25591850/

Anonymous First Nations Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/anon.native

Police shooting victim identified as James McIntyre

Victim was an employee at another Dawson Creek restaurant

Image captured from video moments after RCMP shoot a man allegedly holding a knife in Dawson Creek, BC.

by Jonny Wakefield & Mike Carter, Alaska Highway News, July 20, 2015

The B.C. Coroner’s Service has identified the man killed by police outside a Dawson Creek restaurant Thursday evening as James Daniel McIntyre, 48.

Officials say the man was a resident of Dawson Creek, and family members are asking for privacy.

McIntyre was shot dead after allegedly confronting police outside a Dawson Creek restaurant at around 6:30 July 16. Investigators say the man was wearing a mask and refused to drop a knife.

Little is known about the man, but details are emerging, including that McIntyre worked as a dishwasher and cook’s assistant at Le’s Family Restaurant on 8th Street.

Despite having worked there for almost four years, owner Le Nguyen said he knew little about McIntyre, saying he seemed like a “normal guy.”

“He was a hard worker,” he told Alaska Highway News at the restaurant Sunday, saying he “didn’t know anything about him as a person.”

On Friday, Nguyen’s son, who manages the restaurant, phoned McIntyre’s mother to find out why he was not at work.

Nguyen was “shocked” to discover that the victim was one of his employees. He said that the grey sweatshirt and jeans worn by the man in videos taken after the shooting appeared to be similar to clothing McIntyre wore.

“I thought maybe it was him,” he said of the videos. “Somebody saw a video that looked like him, dressed like that.”

When contacted by Alaska Highway News, a woman believed to be a relative said “we don’t have any comment at this time, please respect our privacy,” before hanging up.

Saturday afternoon, an apartment listed for the family member was raided by Dawson Creek RCMP. However, police say that raid was connected with the disruption at a Site C event and not the shooting itself.

Since the shooting, Twitter users associated with the hacker group Anonymous have claimed the victim was an associate. Two witnesses at the scene said the man appeared to be wearing a Guy Fawkes mask, which is associated with the group.

Sunday morning, Anonymous “members” promising to reveal personal information about the officers involved claimed responsibility for cyber attacks that temporarily disabled some RCMP websites. Most of the websites were back up by Sunday afternoon.

McIntyre was shot outside Fixx Urban Grill, which was hosting an open house on the Site C dam Thursday night. The controversial $8.8 billion dam on the Peace River has the go-ahead to begin construction from the province.

Investigators originally said the victim was “believed to be connected” to a man who knocked over tables and display boards at the event. However, 24-hours later, the Independent Investigations Office revealed that man had never come into contact with police and was alive and well. Spokesperson Kellie Kilpatrick attributed the mixup to the large number of “moving parts” involved in the investigation.

It is unknown whether McIntyre is associated with the Twitter user jay mack, who at 2:23 p.m. July 16 posted “Anonymous splinter group 2 attend the scheduled meeting in Dawson Creek tonight starting at 6 pm.” The user, who regularly posted links to stories about Anonymous and issues related to oil and gas, has not been active since.

http://www.alaskahighwaynews.ca/dawson-creek/police-shooting-victim-identified-as-james-mcintyre-1.2006178

Edit July 21, 2015: Anonymous First Nations/Native Americans have stated on their FB page that they do not know McIntyre and he was not a member of their group.