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

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

aboriginal leader from Wasagamack, Manitoba, who was shot and killed by Winnipeg police 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 ...

Helen Betty Osborne Helen Betty Osborne, or Betty Osborne (July 16, 1952 – November 13, 1971), was a Cree Aboriginal woman from Norway House reserve who was kidnapped and murdered while walking down Third Street in The Pas, Manitoba. Life Osborne was bor ...

, sparked the Aboriginal Justice Inquiry. 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 Excessive Force is a musical side project started in 1991 by Sascha Konietzko of KMFDM and Buzz McCoy of My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult. History In 1991, Excessive Force released the single "Conquer Your House", followed by the album ''Conque ...

in the fatal confrontation.

Personal life

Harper was a member of the

Wasagamack First Nation Wasagamack First Nation (Oji-cree: ᐗᓴᑲᒪᐣᐠ, ''meaning: At the Bay'') is an Oji-Cree First Nation band government in Manitoba, Canada. As of December 2014 the registered population of the Wasagamack First Nation was 2,017, of which 1,823 l ...

. 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.

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 Norma Bailey (born 1949, in Gimli, Manitoba, Canada) is a Canadian film writer, producer, and director whose work is rooted in feminist and intersectional film theory. Bailey has directed several films, both in English and French and in various dif ...

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 IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...

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