Police give trigger warning before homicide update

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This article was published 14/06/2022 (878 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A police officer issued a trigger warning before releasing the latest details of a first-degree murder investigation to the media and livestream viewers Wednesday morning.

“I would like to acknowledge that today’s press conference does contain details that may be disturbing to members of the public, particularly those families directly impacted by matters involving missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, two spirit and gender-diverse people,” Winnipeg Police Service Const. Dani McKinnon said before the update on the investigation of the slaying of Rebecca Contois, 24.

The warning was part of a new approach taken by the police service to address the public and families of victims about traumatic incidents.

The police service is collaborating with community organizations to provide trauma-informed and culturally appropriate support to the Contois family during their “agonizing time of grief and mourning,” McKinnon said.

That includes the work of Angie Tuesday, the service’s family support and resource advocate, who was hired full-time last December.

“If it happens to one, it impacts all of us. In particular, this particular piece, the details that have been released have been very traumatic on the family, but also on other families who have experienced this loss before and are currently experiencing those losses,” Tuesday said. Information about homicide investigations is difficult to share, she said, but they try to do it in a trauma-informed way.

“That might mean, depending on the circumstances, not making a phone call — attending in person, making sure that there are other supports available in the community or other supports the family’s connected to,” Tuesday said.

“Each family is different, each situation is different.”

She said she can give information about financial assistance for funeral expenses offered by Manitoba Justice, as well as ongoing support.

“For me, (that) would mean being a safe space for families to call and talk and ask questions and just vent and share whatever emotion they’re going through.”

She’s well-connected to agencies that can provide ongoing support, Tuesday said.

New community engagement Supt. Bonnie Emerson said it’s also important for the media to reflect on how it reports traumatic information to families.

erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @erik_pindera