Judge says Deline, N.W.T., man who enticed police to kill him last January a 'struggling human being'
A man from Deline, N.W.T., who was once involved in what is believed to be one of the longest armed standoffs in the North in 2008, was in court again on Monday facing several new firearms charges.
Jamie Takazo, 43, was arrested last January in Deline after he publicly threatened to kill himself with a rifle, and pleaded with police to fire on him as well.
When RCMP arrived at the scene, Takazo swore at officers and began to swing his rifle around "wildly," according to the Crown's statement in court.
The situation evolved into a heated back-and-forth between Takazo and the police: at one point, Takazo dropped to his knees with the tip of the rifle barrel aimed at his throat.
When police pleaded with Takazo to not shoot, Takazo threatened them saying, "I'll do it," and asked police to kill him, according to Crown prosecutor Blair MacPherson. Family members eventually tackled Takazo to the ground, where he was then arrested and taken into custody.
Police later discovered the rifle was not loaded.
Takazo, who was intoxicated at the time, said he has no recollection of the event.
40-hour armed standoff
At the time, Takazo was on a lifetime firearm ban since an incident in 2008 when he kept RCMP at bay for 40 hours in a weekend armed standoff in Norman Wells, N.W.T.
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For almost two-days Takazo barricaded himself with a firearm in an apartment just off the town's main street. Residents in the area were forced out of their homes while police and police negotiators from Norman Wells, Yellowknife, Alberta and Yukon surrounded the building during the 40-hour standoff.
"[The incident] has to be one of the longest armed standoffs in the North," MacPherson said.
MacPherson compared that standoff to Takazo's recent attempt to have police kill him — and called them "very similar circumstances." He is asking for the same sentence as 2008: two years in prison, less a day, and three years probation.
The defence is asking for 12 months, minus the three months Takazo has already spent in custody.
A desperate 'cry for help'
The court heard Monday that Takazo's past included being bullied, attending residential school, and troubles at home where he said he felt like he was "the black sheep".
Takazo says he hears "extreme, loud, and disturbing" voices, according defence lawyer Katherine Oja.
A recent psychiatric assessment showed that Takazo is not schizophrenic, but doctors have not yet diagnosed his mental illness.
Takazo has been seeing different mental health workers in Deline and Yellowknife since January.
The court discussed ways Takazo can receive help in the North, where mental health resources are lacking.
"This is a cry for help … an attempt to die by police," said Supreme Court Justice Andrew Mahar.
Mahar called Takazo a "struggling human being" and said he was not interested in "overly punishing people with mental illnesses."
The Crown asked the judge not to dismiss the safety of the public and the police, saying that one officer is still "rattled" by the incident which continues to affect the officer's job performance.
The judge will deliver his decision on Aug. 1.
