Man from Arctic Bay, Nunavut, who had Taser pointed at him felt threatened, court hears

The man who had a Taser pointed at him by an RCMP officer in Arctic Bay said he felt scared and threatened during the incident.  

Andrew Muckpa testified during the officer's second day of trial, being held in Iqaluit, on Wednesday. 

Muckpa said two RCMP officers entered his home in Arctic Bay the morning of Feb. 15, 2020, when they responded to a mental health call. 

Luke Tomkinson, a relief officer at the time, is charged with assault with a weapon and uttering threats in connection to an incident that happened in the man's home that day. 

Tomkinson still works for the RCMP. 

A video filmed by Muckpa's son shows pieces of the incident and was played in court repeatedly for witnesses over the first two days of the trial.

Muckpa testified that he swore at the police, which can be heard in the video. 

Right after he swears, the video shows Tomkinson pull out his Taser from his belt and raises it at the man who is sitting out of the frame. 

"You really want some of this, do ya? I'll get you right in the f--king face," Tomkinson says. 

Muckpa, who is sitting out of the frame in the video, replies, "I'll kill you."

Tomkinson then puts the Taser back in his belt. 

Muckpa told the court that he did not move from the couch where he was sitting during the interaction with Tomkinson. 

David Butcher, Tomkinson's lawyer, suggested to Muckpa that he was wrong and had, in fact, either moved from the couch or had started to move. 

Muckpa said he had not and that his back was against the couch the entire time.

The video shows part of the arrest and a physical struggle between the officers and Muckpa as he's arrested. 

Cpl. Jesse Gawne, a use of force expert for the Crown, also started his testimony Wednesday. 

Before court adjourned for the day, Gawne went through the Incident Management Intervention Model (also known as IMIM) that RCMP use to assess and manage risk in interactions. 

Gawne noted that RCMP officers don't receive training to use a Taser during their time at Depot, the training academy recruits must complete before entering the RCMP. 

Training to use a Taser usually depends on where an officer is posted, Gawne said. 

The trial is being held in the boardroom of Building 1106 in Iqaluit because there was no space available in the Nunavut Court of Justice. 

Gawne will continue his testimony on Thursday. A use of force expert for the defence is also expected to testify.