In response, leaders of the Innu Nation met with RCMP officials and asked that the two officers involved be moved out of Sheshatshiu and placed on administrative duties while the matter is investigated.

SIRT‑NL is an independent agency created under Newfoundland and Labrador legislation. The law does not obligate the team to open an investigation automatically; its director can choose to refer the case back to the RCMP’s own complaints process or take other actions.

The Innu Nation also used the incident to press for changes to provincial policing legislation. They argue that the current law prevents the creation of an Indigenous‑run police service, which would require new legislation and access to federal funding through the First Nations and Inuit Policing Program.

The RCMP’s referral matters because it signals that community outcry can activate formal oversight, potentially rebuilding trust between Indigenous communities and police. It also highlights the limits of existing oversight mechanisms and the demand for more locally controlled policing.