Bloodshed feared with Mohawk gambling dispute

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A bitter dispute on the Akwesasne Reserve threatens to explode into bloodshed. Mike Mitchell, grand chief of the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne, which administers the Canadian sector, said "it's a miracle nobody's been killed, but sooner or later somebody is going to get hurt. And following that, a lot of people are going to die. A whole bunch of Indians are going to die." Anger over the seven casinos that line the reserve's main street erupted into a gun battle last weekend in a standoff between the militant members of the pro-gambling Mohawk Warriors Society, who live on the U.S. side, and the entire 15-member police force, which administers the Canadian side. Police Chief Ernie King said his officers fired as many as 75 rounds at the Warriors. "We didn't have any choice," he said. No one was injured. Meanwhile, reserve police will soon be carrying semi-automatic, nine-millimeter handguns, which will have 17 bullets, 11 more than the .38-calibre revolvers currently in use. King denied the move is related to the Warrior's Society.