2021-06-02

RCMP disputes Western Shore man’s claims of racism

Mounties dispute a local Black man's claim racial discrimination was the catalyst for using a specialized tactical police unit to help carry out an assertive early morning gun search May 19 in Western Shore.

The RCMP's emergency response team (ERT) raided a Station Road address just after 6 a.m. and the officers' initial approach and actions were caught on video from a surveillance camera installed on the Lunenburg County property.

Footage posted online shows five officers – with weapons drawn – approach from the woods across the road. A voice can be heard announcing police were present with a search warrant. Later, there are sounds consistent with shattering glass and further voice instructions aimed at dwellers of the property. Smoke can be seen in the air just as an unmarked police vehicle pulls up with a dog and handler.

Prior to the planned search, officers assessed the matter as "high risk," and reached out to the unit, which possess the specialized equipment, weaponry and strategy, to be first-in, said Cpl. Chris Marshall, a spokesman for the province's RCMP.

In a telephone interview with LighthouseNOW, Marshall said the Mounties were looking for a handgun believed to have been pointed at another person in Martins Point three days earlier, on May 16, in relation to a dispute between individuals over an unpaid debt. As of this writing, no charges have been filed in connection with the alleged incident.

"Every situation is different and the actual tactics used uses by ERT would have been dependant on location of where this is happening, number of people we would have believed to be in the house, so many different factors with their plan of how they are going to make entry," added Marshall.

ERT was used for a no-knock entry in a separate unrelated investigation in the summer of 2019. Search warrant records obtained by LighthouseNOW in that matter showed police suspected guns would be inside a Liverpool apartment and planned to use ERT in the interest of officer safety and to prevent evidence from being destroyed. As a result, charges were filed and two men admitted to crimes and were jailed.

In the case of the Western Shore investigation, the man who lived in the home that was searched May 19 suggested to other media outlets the raid was over-the-top and wants police to apologize. Larson Munongo, 21, said he would have complied without the hubbub and accused the police of racism.

"I think it's because of me, based on who I am, based on what skin colour I am," he said in a May 21 news story published by CTV News.

Not true, Marshall told LighthouseNOW.

"ERT was called in due to his criminal history, previous interactions with police, charges before the courts, subject matter of the investigation and due to the fact we were looking for a firearm," Marshall said. "It had absolutely nothing to do with his race."

Police did not find a handgun but located ammunition.

As a result of the ammunition discovery, police filed charges of breaching an undertaking (conditions of his release while other charges are before the courts) and breach of probation.

Munongo was sentenced to two years of supervised release in May 2019 for unauthorized possession of a firearm. He's currently subject to court-ordered conditions in relation to current charges out of Halifax, which include assault, assault with a weapon, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose and resisting arrest. Those allegations date back to early May. Munongo is also charged with not paying for a $119.94 cab ride and assaulting the taxi driver in Western Shore back in February.

The Western Shore and Halifax allegations have not been tested in court and Munongo is presumed innocent.

"Ultimately, the ERT never goes in with the expectation [they're] going to hurt somebody," Marshall added. The unit is there "to make sure that doesn't happen, to ensure not just officer safety but that something bad doesn't occur."