Thirty-two-year-old Dakota Rayn Keewatin has been convicted for the 2023 manslaughter of Davis Smith.
On Tuesday, March 7, 2023, shortly before 9 p.m., Prince George RCMP responded to an altercation at an apartment building on the 1500-block of Queensway. When police officers arrived at the location, they found one man deceased.
The Prince George RCMP’s Serious Crime Unit was called in to take conduct of the investigation. They quickly identified and arrested the suspect, Dakota Rayn Keewatin, on March 7, shortly after the incident was reported.
On August 19, 2025, a decision was handed down in the B.C. Supreme Court, convicting Keewatin of manslaughter. He is due to return to court for sentencing in November.
“A quick and concerted response to the initial complaint of gunfire inside an apartment block by frontline Police officers was key to advancing this investigation,” said Staff Sergeant Aaron Whitehouse, commander of the General Investigative Section for the Prince Geoge RCMP. “The accused’s arrest followed shortly thereafter. This investigation – like all homicides – involved a large number of investigators who worked hard to ensure a timely disclosure to the BC Prosecution Service. We are very pleased with the outcome.”