A man has been charged with first-degree murder after a suspicious death was reported at a Ditidaht First Nation home on Saturday.
Lake Cowichan RCMP say that they were called to the Ditidaht First Nations reserve, around 100 kilometres northwest of Victoria, around 7 a.m. PT on Saturday.
There, they say they found a man dead, as well as a “situation at hand” that required multiple support units to be called in.
Police say the support units included the Emergency Response Team consisting of tactical officers trained in “penetrating blockades and strongholds,” as well as “responding to barricaded armed subjects.”
Officers said at the time that they had successfully arrested a man without incident.
Now, Derian Tate, born in 2000 according to online court records, has been charged with first-degree murder.
Tate’s next court appearance is scheduled for Oct. 8. No further details of the death, including the victim’s identity, have been released.
Ditidaht First Nation Chief Coun. Judi Thomas said in a letter posted to the Indigenous community’s Facebook page that residents were advised at one point during the police operation to stay indoors and keep windows closed on Saturday.
In another letter released later that day, Thomas says police would remain in the community “for a couple more days” while health and spiritual support services, including counsellors, were brought in to assist community members.