Two men facing weapon charges after hours-long police standoff in downtown Yellowknife
The operation lasted from the morning to evening, shutting down sections of two streets for most of the day
Two men are facing numerous charges for pointing a firearm at the occupants of a downtown apartment on Jan. 7.
Insp. Barry Larocque of the Yellowknife RCMP wrote in a news release that a 27-year-old man and a 21-year-old man who were both arrested at the Sunridge apartments are facing weapons related charges.
Three men were arrested as a result of a police operation, but only the two face charges.
The police operation shut down sections of several downtown streets throughout the day on Jan. 7 as the RCMP said it received a call reporting that three men had entered a Grayling Manor apartment unit, and pointed a handgun at the occupants.
The building has been the site of criminal activity in the recent past. In March, 2020 the NWT Housing Corporation upgraded security there, following an RCMP investigation of a mid-afternoon shooting and, in a separate incident, a suspicious death.
The section of 53rd St. in front of the building was shut down by police for hours on Jan. 7.
According to an earlier news release, a handgun was recovered outside the building.
At around 2:30 p.m. that day, several armed officers in tactical equipment including bullet proof vests, shields, and door rammers entered the Grayling Manor apartment building.
They left the building about 20 minutes later with a man in custody. The man arrested at Grayling Manor is not facing charges, according to the news release.
Police had also shut down 51A Ave. earlier that morning, where they said two other suspects were hiding out in the Sunridge apartments.
The police operation on 51A Ave. stretched into the evening of Jan. 7, but Larocque announced in a news release at around 7:45 p.m. that the operation had ended and the suspects were in custody.
The two men are scheduled to appear in court in Yellowknife on Jan. 10 at 9:30 a.m.