A young woman who was shot and killed by police in New Brunswick on Thursday has been identified by family members as 26-year-old Chantel Moore of the Tla-o-qui-ah First Nation near Tofino, B.C.
Police in Edmundston, N.B., say they were asked to perform a wellness check on a woman at an apartment building around 2:30 a.m. Thursday.
The department said in a statement that the responding officer was confronted by a woman, who was allegedly holding a knife and making threats.
Chantel Moore's grandmother, Nora Martin, said the family is in mourning and disbelief over what happened.
"Chantel was very friendly, she was very outgoing," said Martin. "She was well-loved by the family and had numerous friends."
She said as soon as she heard news of Moore's death, she felt that race was a factor.
"When I first heard about it, that was my first thought: 'This was racially motivated,'" said Martin.
"We've been dealing with police brutality for a number of years," she added. "I know in my own family it's been going on for a long time."
Martin said Moore moved to New Brunswick roughly two months ago to be closer to her five-year-old daughter who was living with a relative in Edmundston.
According to family members, Moore's boyfriend first contacted police in Edmundston to check on Moore because she claimed she was being harassed.
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Martin also questioned why police fired five shots, and why a Taser or other non-lethal method of subduing someone was not used. She said that she hopes police will change how they approach confrontations to focus more on deescalating situations.
"Like is said she was small in stature, it's very appalling to us."
