The man shot and killed last Thursday by police outside the Air North property had entered the Air North cargo building with a rifle, the RCMP’s Yukon commander told reporters this morning.

Supt. Scott Sheppard held a press conference to provide details of the incident.

The shooting occurred at the Air North property about two kilometres south of the Erik Nielsen Whitehorse International Airport terminal.

Sheppard said the RCMP received a call at 12:37 p.m. reporting a man with a gun was in the secured area of the Air North cargo building on Condor Road.

“Prior to the arrival of the police, the male with the gun, which we have now determined to be a non-prohibited and non-restricted long gun, gained access to the secured Air North compound. The matter of access to this area has been referred to Transport Canada,” Sheppard said.

“The individual, who was known to the employees, threatened them with the gun. An altercation occurred, during which time co-workers were able to call 911, who immediately dispatched police.

“Several officers responded, and the 40-year-old man was shot by an officer at 12:50 p.m.”

The commanding officer said specially trained officers immediately provided life-saving first aid, but the gunman died at about 1 p.m.

“There were multiple Air North employees present,” Sheppard told the news conference.

The deceased was a resident of Alberta who had worked in the Yukon with several employers, including Air North, Sheppard said.

Police will not be releasing his name at the request of the family, he added.

An autopsy has been scheduled for Nov. 30 in Abbotsford, B.C.

He said the deceased had had limited contact with the RCMP, explaining that limited contact meant his name was on file.

There are three investigations being conducted into the shooting; one by the local M Division attachment and another by the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT).

As the shooting occurred so near the runway, Transportation Canada is also conducting an investigation, Sheppard explained.

The team from Alberta arrived Friday and left Sunday.

The Yukon government has an agreement with the Alberta team to provide independent investigations into serious incidents that occur in the Yukon.

Sheppard said Yukon victim services staff are providing assistance to officers involved as well as employees of Air North.

The main airport and the terminal remained open during the incident, as it occurred some distance from the terminal.

Sheppard said many scenes have been forensically examined and have been released.

“The Yukon RCMP would like to acknowledge the exemplary co-operation of Air North as we continue our criminal investigation,” Sheppard said.

“The impact of this serious incident touches many people in this community-minded company across our small territory.

“This has been a challenging year with the number of police-involved critical incidents in the territory. The resulting impacts on the communities we serve are noticeable.

“I would like to thank the RCMP officers and employees from the Yukon, including our dispatchers, for their professionalism and dedication. I remain very proud to get to work with all of you,” Sheppard said.

He also thanked Transport Canada and Yukon government partner agencies, including the Emergency Measures Services, the Emergency Measures Office and the Yukon Coroner’s Service.