A 39-year-old Nunavut man has been sentenced to life in prison with no
chance of parole for 25 years after he was found guilty of first-degree
murder in the shooting of RCMP Const. Douglas Scott in 2007.
Judge Robert Kilpatrick told the courtroom the sentence was "the end of
living" for Pingoatuk Kolola and "the beginning of his survival."
Scott, a 20-year-old officer, was shot and killed in his vehicle
while investigating a drunk driving call in the remote Baffin Island
community of Kimmirut.
Kolola’s defence lawyer, Andy Mahar, had argued his client was too
intoxicated to intend to kill the constable and that he only wanted
to fire a warning shot.
Scott died from a bullet to the head.
Court heard Scott approached Kolola's car after it had become stuck in
construction debris. Kolola had been driving around the community with his
infant son after fighting with his common-law wife.
