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The mood was sombre as a third of the residents of tiny Granisle walked quietly into the new school that stands at the centre of this community on the shores of Babine Lake.

These 100 people came to the community meeting looking for answers about what led to the death of two townspeople who were shot and killed by police outside their home on April 21.

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Police were called to the home of Shirley Williams, 73, and her son Jovan, 39, at 12:30 p.m. that afternoon. Within an hour they had surrounded the home and the fatal shots were fired at 2:50 p.m.

The shootings have rocked this small community and exposed racial tensions in Granisle. Depending who you ask, racism either doesn’t exist here or was one of the central issues behind a bitter dispute between neighbours which led to the deaths.

Resident Joan Posener, who has lived in Granisle since 2004, and is a church regular, said the community is trying to deal with not only the deaths of two community members but the issue of racism.