Cambridge Bay shooting

On January 6, 2007, a triple homicide occurred in the Kitikmeot community of Cambridge Bay in Nunavut, Canada.

Christopher "Chris" Raymond Bishop, a 21-year-old, opened fire on a group of people who had broken into his home in a case of castle doctrine. The incident remains one of the deadliest events in the territory's history.

Shooting

The shooting took place between 2:00 a.m. and 3:00 a.m. following a period of drinking and an earlier physical altercation on New Year's Day. A group of individuals, some reportedly armed with a golf club and a samurai sword, forced their way into Bishop's housing unit.

Bishop, who had called the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) as the group pounded on his door, used a SKS-D, a semi-automatic rifle made by Norinco with an illegal 30-round magazine. He fired 25 shots, 21 of which struck human targets.

Victims

The shooting resulted in three deaths and two injuries:

• Deceased: Keith Atatahak (28), Kevin Komaksiut (21/22), and Dean Costa (29).
• Injured: Logan Pigalak and Antoinette Bernhardt (Atatahak's common-law partner).

Trial and imprisonment

A jury found Bishop guilty of three counts of second-degree [...] and two counts of attempted [...]. He was sentenced to life in prison with no parole for 16 years.

In 2013, The Nunavut Court of Appeal overturned the convictions, ruling that the trial judge had allowed prejudicial testimony while excluding evidence regarding the "dangerous criminal character" of the home invaders.

On January 14, 2015, Bishop pleaded guilty to the lesser charges of manslaughter (three counts) and attempted [...] (two counts). He received a 20-year sentence. However, with "two-for-one" credit for the eight years already spent in custody, he was ordered to serve approximately four more years in prison from the date of his final sentencing.

In 2017, Bishop was released on day parole after serving roughly 10 years of his sentence.