There are no photos publicly available of Tyundanaikah "Ty" and Connie Jacobs:
Ty was 9 years old when he and his 37 year old mother, Constance "Connie " Jacobs, were involved in a shootout with police on the Tsuu T'ina reserve on March 22nd, 1998. Ty was at home with his 3 brothers (all ages 4 and under), his father Hardy, and his 2 toddler cousins. Connie and Hardy had spent the previous evening drinking heavily with 3 house guests who left around 10 or 11pm, after which the Jacobs' continued to drink. It's possible a physical altercation occured between Connie and Hardy during the night, but this fact has not been proven.
Hardy continued to drink the following morning as Connie made macaroni for the family to eat. Hardy complained about the dinner and Connie threw a plate of it at his head, causing a large gash. He held a towel to his head and left the house to seek medical assistance. Ty and Connie wandered up Range Road 140 about 125 meters to see what happened to Hardy and found him passed out along the side of the road. The two returned him to the family home where he had difficulty walking and left blood smears around the home on his way to take a shower. Ty reached out to a neighbor to get assistance calling for help as the family home had no phone service due to unpaid bills.
When it became known how Hardy was injured, fire chief and first responder Chris Bigplume responded to the home along with his wife Tanya. They saw the home in disarray with garbage piled around the home and blood on the walls. There was glass on the floor and all of the children appeared hungry and under cared for. Chris reached out to his mother who worked as the chairperson of the Board of Child and Family Services for the Tsuu T'ina Nation and told her what he'd seen. The family was known to them by that time as they had previously removed the children due to their parents' drinking and their last file had been closed in February of that same year. Due to lack of funding and understaffing, Tsuu T'ina Tribal Police were tapped to assist in removing the Jacobs children.
When police came to the home that evening a naked 4 year old boy answered the door and they found it in the same condition as earlier with glass and blood around the home. Connie appeared to be passed out and needed to be woken by child services workers. At some point the commotion woke her enough that she cursed at the workers and told them they would not be taking her children. One of the police in attendance warned the workers that the Jacobs were Hunters and had access to weapons and encouraged them to leave. Connie rounded up her children and grandchildren in the meantime and ushered them into the basement. Police waited outside for backup and turned back to face Connie holding a rifle and officers scrambled to safety. Constable Dave Voller commanded Connie to put down her rifle as she stepped out onto her front stoop, but she discharged it at him and missed. He fired back when she appeared to be reloading. Tragically, Ty was standing behind and slightly to the side of his mother when the pellets from the buckshot hit her in the heart and face. Two of the pellets struck Ty in his jaw and upper chest, and another pellet passed through his mother and then himself. Both of them died within minutes.
Concerns were raised following the Jacobs' deaths that their killings were racially motivated as well as concerns about the lack of experienced officers Tsuu T'ina was able to provide. The office had also experienced high turnover and recent resignations of high ranking officers, much like the understaffed Family Services. Connie's sister told the media that she felt it was a matter of desperation and a sad chain of events that led to this tragic outcome. A Fatality Inquiry was performed in this case and largely described the same. May Connie and Ty's memories be a blessing.
Tribal Information: Ty and Connie are Tsuu T'ina
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