Hundreds gathered to pay their respects in Burns Lake for both 39-year-old Jovan Williams and his 73-year-old mother, Shirley Beatrice Williams, on May 3, who were found dead after a shooting involving police in Granisle on April 21, 2016.
Lake Babine Nation Chief Wilf Adam, who knew Jovan (otherwise known as Joe) for over five years, describes him as a quiet and polite man who would never cause any trouble.
“I was very surprised about particular comments (about) him being mentally unstable. That was uncalled for. He did his job, he was hard working, and he was polite to people; that’s the guy I always knew,” describes Adam about how he sees the tragedy portrayed in the media.
Jovan worked as a janitor and handyman at the administration building at the Lake Babine Nation for the six years Adam knew him.
“For a young person that was a very hard working guy – likes to contribute to society – this is not a way to end his young life. There has to be justice served and make sure he didn’t die in vain,” says Cheif Adam. “This isn’t over – we need to know what happened – why were two people killed? There’s just so many questions that weren’t answered.”
The independent Investigations Office is investigating to see if any offences were committed by the officers involved.