John Joseph "J.J." Harper (December 30, 1951 – March 9, 1988) was a Canadian

aboriginal Aborigine, aborigine or aboriginal may refer to: *Aborigines (mythology), in Roman mythology * Indigenous peoples, general term for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area *One of several groups of indigenous peoples, see ...

leader from

Wasagamack, Manitoba Wasagamack or Waasagomach is a community in the Canadian province of Manitoba. It is a settlement of the Wasagamack First Nation located on the western shore of Island Lake on Waasagomach Bay north of St. Theresa Point St. Theresa Point First ...

, who was shot and killed by

Winnipeg police The Winnipeg Police Service is the police force of the city of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. History When Winnipeg became a city, in 1873, an election was held to select the city's new mayor and aldermen. Those appointed decided to hire city o ...

constable Constable Robert Cross on March 9, 1988. That event, along with the

murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person wit ...

of Helen Betty Osborne, sparked the

Aboriginal Justice Inquiry The Aboriginal Justice Inquiry (AJI), officially the Public Inquiry into the Administration of Justice and Aboriginal People, was a public inquiry commissioned by the Manitoba government into the administration of justice regarding the 1971 mur ...

. During an altercation between Police and Harper, Cross shot and killed Harper. It was initially ruled an accident; however, a strong public outcry lead to the Native American Justice Inquiry. The inquiry eventually concluded that Cross had used excessive force in the fatal confrontation.

Personal life

Harper was a member of the Wasagamack First Nation. He was also executive director of the Island Lake Tribal Council and a leader in Manitoba's indigenous community. He and his wife Lois had three children together. On August 2, 2008, over 20 years after Harper was killed, his nephew Craig McDougall was also shot and killed by

Winnipeg Police The Winnipeg Police Service is the police force of the city of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. History When Winnipeg became a city, in 1873, an election was held to select the city's new mayor and aldermen. Those appointed decided to hire city o ...

Legacy

Harper's shooting was described in a 1999 book, ''Cowboys & Indians: The Killing of J.J. Harper'', written by

Winnipeg Free Press The ''Winnipeg Free Press'' (or WFP; founded as the ''Manitoba Free Press'') is a daily (excluding Sunday) broadsheet newspaper in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It provides coverage of local, provincial, national, and international news, as well as ...

columnist Gordon Sinclair Jr., and later a 2003 television movie by the same name. It was directed by Norma Bailey and starred

Adam Beach Adam Beach (born November 11, 1972) is a Canadian actor. He is best known for his roles as Victor Joseph in ''Smoke Signals'', Frank Fencepost in ''Dance Me Outside'', Tommy on ''Walker, Texas Ranger'', Kickin' Wing in ''Joe Dirt'', U.S. Marine C ...

as Harper.Cowboys and Indians: The J.J. Harper Story
Internet Movie Database

References

1951 births 1988 deaths 20th-century First Nations people Indigenous leaders in Manitoba Killings by law enforcement officers in Canada Oji-Cree people People shot dead by law enforcement officers in Canada {{Authority control