RCMP officer cleared in Sask. Cree Nation shooting, SIRT says 

The waiting area of the Serious Incident Response Team, the province's independent police watchdog agency, is seen in Halifax on Wednesday, April 18, 2018. (Andrew Vaughan)

The Saskatchewan Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT) has concluded its investigation into a fatal officer-involved shooting on Dec. 19, 2023, and found the RCMP officer acted lawfully.

SIRT, the Saskatchewan police watchdog, began its investigation hours after the incident had taken place on the Red Earth Cree Nation which is located 225 kilometres northeast of Prince Albert.

RCMP detachments from Carrot River and Nipawin along with provincial protective services, responded to multiple 911 calls reporting gunfire in the community earlier that morning.

Arriving officers arrested a man and a woman, but the primary suspect remained at large.

According to SIRT’s report, during the search, a shot struck the driver’s side window of an RCMP vehicle, injuring an officer. Police later saw a man carrying a long-barrelled firearm near a baseball diamond and outdoor rink.

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A drone captured the man lying face down with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. Around 6:32 a.m., he stood up, retrieved the shotgun, and began walking toward police. Despite repeated commands to stop and drop the weapon, the man raised the shotgun and aimed at an officer, prompting another officer to fire several rounds, striking him.

“As the affected person was lying on the ground, he attempted to reach for the firearm again, and at approximately 6:35 a.m., the subject officer fired a second volley of shots,” the SIRT report reads.

Shortly before 8 a.m., he was pronounced dead at the scene.

The investigation found the man had fired at a home, killing a dog, and shot at a police vehicle. SIRT concluded the man’s actions created a reasonable perception of a lethal threat.

Under the Criminal Code, police may use necessary force, including lethal force, to defend themselves or others from death or grievous harm. SIRT found the officer’s actions met that legal standard.

The report states there were “no grounds to believe an offence was committed by the subject officer.”

According to SIRT, the matter will not be referred to the attorney general.