The shooting of a man by a Mountie has the Wagmatcook band council in Cape Breton considering replacing the RCMP with another police force.

John Andrew Simon, 44, died Dec. 2.

The RCMP said officers responded to a report of a domestic dispute at his house after a neighbour called 911. After negotiating for 90 minutes, an officer shot Simon.

The band's policing contract with the RCMP is ending, but the shooting has prompted council to look for alternatives, said Brian Arbuthnot, a band council spokesman.

"Obviously, that's a sensitive issue," he said. "We recognize the fact that there is an ongoing police investigation regarding the death of John. Certainly, policing services have taken a bit of a setback because of that."

Patsy MacKay, Simon's wife, feels that tension.

"When I see an RCMP officer, my heart starts to race. I know the children are afraid of them," MacKay said.

MacKay said the community still doesn't know exactly why her husband was shot. She said the RCMP haven't been keeping her or Simon's relatives informed about the progress of the investigation.

In the meantime, she said, relations between the community and the RCMP have soured.

"I heard of an incident of an RCMP being stuck on the reserve the other day. They were saying, can they get somebody to help them or whatever, and that person told them, 'I hope your car burns'," MacKay said.

Sgt. Mark Gallagher, spokesman for Nova Scotia RCMP, said investigators plan to update Simon's family on their investigation.

As for the policing contract, the RCMP is expected to comment later Tuesday.

Arbuthnot said the band has approached the Cape Breton Regional Police department after reviewing its work with the Membertou First Nation.

The Cape Breton police force is considering the Wagmatcook's council's request.