Criminal Charges Levied Against 5 Prince George-based RCMP Officers in Relation to the 2017 Death of Dale Culver

Five Prince George-based RCMP officers are facing criminal charges in relation to the death of a First Nations man in 2017.

35 year-old Dale Culver died in police custody on July 18th of that year after being violently apprehended and pepper sprayed by police.

Culver was a member of the Gitxsan and Wet’suwet’en Nations whose death sparked public outrage over anti-Indigenous racism in policing.

BC’s Independent Investigations Office asked prosecutors to consider pressing charges against the involved officers, following an investigation in 2020.

Now, the Prosecution Service has approved charges of manslaughter against Constables Paul Ste-Marie, and Jean Francois-Monette.

Constables Arthur Dalman, and Clarence Alexander MacDonald, as well as Sergeant Bayani Eusebio Cruz have also been charged with attempting to obstruct justice.

First Nations Summit Executive Hugh Baker says he hopes the charges send a strong message that racism will no longer be tolerated to those in law enforcement who hold undue hate for Indigenous people and people of colour.