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A police shooting in Saskatoon has left one man injured.
Officers were called to an apartment in the 1100 block of Avenue W North at 5:50 p.m. for what they called a domestic altercation, according to a news release from Saskatoon police.
Acting police chief Randy Huisman provided an update Thursday morning with additional details.
The 27-year-old man was armed with a knife when two officers responded to the call. The man’s struggle with police “spilled out into the parking lot” outside the building when an officer shot the man.
“The firearm was discharged outside of the building,” Huisman said. “I can’t confirm if it was in the parking lot or the surrounding area.”
The 27-year-old man is in stable condition and is being treated in hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.
Huisman is urging anyone outside that witnessed any part of the altercation to call police to help with the investigation.
The two officers responding to the call are off-duty Thursday and will be called in to provide more details and further the investigation.
Saskatoon police are requesting that members of the Regina Police Service lead the investigation, and have requested an independent observer be attached to the investigation “to ensure transparency,” something the service has never done as it moves to align itself with income legislation.
Saskatchewan is one of the only provinces without an independent civilian-led group or agency to investigate police responses that result in injury or death.
Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, Nova Scotia, British Columbia and Quebec all have civilian-led or specialized agencies to investigate such incidents.
In June, the province introduced the Police Amendment Act, 2020 as an effort to improve police oversight. While it is not currently being enacted, it has passed the first reading and is expected to be legislated in the new year.
While the bill would not introduce a civilian-led agency, it would give added authority to the existing Public Complaints Commission (PCC) to supervise investigations of police officers and choose who manages them.
“The spirit of that speaks to changes to the police act,” Huisman said, acknowledging the steps taken are going above and beyond current legislation.
The tabled bill would see the PCC choose and appoint the independent observer rather than the deputy minister of justice. The chair of the PCC is to publish online summaries of the results of the investigation observer reports.
—With files from 650 CKOM’s Keenan Sorokan
