Murray Wood: The 'write' thing to do
You've likely heard about some schools not teaching kids handwriting. It's actually a thing, and it has Murray Wood curs...
Saskatchewan’s police watchdog says a member of the Regina Police Service Major Crimes Unit had to make a “split-second” decision when he shot and killed a murder suspect in July 2025.
The Saskatchewan Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT) has released its report into the death of a 29-year-old man in an alley behind 8th Avenue in North Central Regina, saying no charges will be laid as a result of the fatal shooting.
The man’s name has not been released by either Regina Police or SIRT.
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According to the report, he was one of a number of suspects in a July 13, 2025, murder. He was arrested July 16, interviewed the next day and released. But that night the decision was made that he would be arrested again and charged with murder.
On July 18, members of the Major Crimes Unit were back at the scene when the man was spotted riding a bicycle nearby. The officers were aware he was believed to be carrying a black Glock handgun, and that it hadn’t yet been accounted for.
One of the members, in plainclothes, then spotted him again leaving a backyard on Athol Street, and heading for the alley on his bike.
He eventually obeyed the officer’s repeated commands to drop a knife he was carrying, but despite orders to lie on the ground, he took off his backpack instead and put it on the ground.
He then reached into his pocket and quickly pulled out a black object.
Believing it to be the handgun, the officer fired once, hitting the man in the shoulder. EMS pronounced him dead shortly after arriving.
The black object turned out to be a phone. A Glock replica handgun was found in the man’s backpack.
Toxicology reports showed the man had multiple drugs in his system, including methamphetamine and cocaine.
“In the circumstances of this incident, faced with significant pre-existing information regarding the possession of a firearm by the affected person, the officer was required to make a split-second decision,” the report concludes.
“A police officer does not have to wait to be fired upon to respond. If an officer reasonably believes that a person presents an imminent risk of grievous bodily harm or death, he or she is authorized to use lethal force in response to that perceived threat.”
SIRT found that the officer’s use of force, who was previously identified by the Regina Police Service as a 22-year veteran, was within the range protected by law and that his response to the perceived lethal threat was proportionate and necessary.
