Police watchdog releases more details of Flying Dust RCMP shooting

More details are emerging about an RCMP shooting on a Saskatchewan First Nation.

According to Saskatchewan’s Serious Incident Response Team, RCMP officers got a call from a girl who reported that a family member was “intoxicated and aggressive” inside a home on the Flying Dust First Nation, just north of Meadow Lake, just after 5 p.m. on Sunday.

Read More:

• SIRT investigating RCMP-involved shooting on Flying Dust First Nation
• Wheel fell off RCMP trailer, igniting Lytton, B.C., fire that triggered evacuations
• First-degree murder charge laid after Regina man found dead near Grand Coulee

The team is a civilian-led group that conducts investigations into allegations of serious injury, death, sexual assault or interpersonal violence arising from the actions of police officers.

“Almost immediately after arrival, the members were confronted outside of the residence by the subject of the call, a 39-year-old man, who advanced toward the members while holding a knife in each hand,” the Serious Incident Response Team said in a statement.

“The responding members issued verbal commands for the man to drop the weapon, but he continued to advance and at approximately 5:20 p.m., one of the RCMP members discharged two rounds from his service pistol, striking the man in the torso and causing him to fall to the ground.”

The Serious Incident Response Team said the officers provided first aid to the shooting victim and called for paramedics. The man was taken to hospital by STARS Air Ambulance, and remains hospitalized as of Thursday.

“Two knives were recovered from the ground at the scene of the incident and have been secured as exhibits for both the SIRT and RCMP investigations,” the team noted.

The team said it dispatched six investigators to the scene of the shooting and the Meadow Lake RCMP detachment, and a community liaison will also be appointed.

The Serious Incident Response Team said its investigators will scrutinize the conduct of the RCMP officers “including the circumstances surrounding the man’s arrest,” while the RCMP will continue investigating the initial call for service.

“No further information will be released at this time,” the team added in its statement. “A final report will be issued to the public within 90 days of the investigation ending.”

Man charged with assault

Following the initial release, the RCMP released a statement with details about charges laid on the 39-year-old man.

“Investigation has determined that late on the afternoon of June 29, an adult male assaulted an adult female inside of a residence on Flying Dust First Nation. The victim did not report physical injuries to police,” the statement read.

As a result, the man from Flying Dust First Nation has been charged with assault, assaulting a police officer with a weapon and carrying a weapon for a dangerous purpose.

“The accused has been remanded into custody, though he remains in hospital, and the file will be spoken to in Meadow Lake Provincial Court on July 3,” it said.