VicPD has released additional photos of three suspects they believe are responsible for the vandalization of the Captain James Cook statue that took place in early July.
One person is a newly identified suspect.
On July 1st, the Captain James Cook statue was torn down and thrown into the waters of the Inner Harbour.
The destruction followed an anti-colonial protest on the Legislature grounds amid the discovery and investigations into unmarked graves at residential schools around Canada.
The suspects identified in the photos appeared to be attending the protest.
The newly identified suspect appears to be wearing an orange ‘Every Child Matters’ shirt, which represents residential school children.
Another photo appears to show a suspect with a pulley system, which may have been used to pull down the statue.
“Safe, peaceful and lawful protests are permitted under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms,” VicPD said.
“Property damage is not.”
See more: Totem pole fire at Malahat lookout believed to be linked to statue incident in Victoria
Investigators are asking for the public’s assistance in identifying the three suspects.
Anyone with information is asked to call VicPD at (250) 995-7654.
