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REGINA — RCMP in Saskatchewan faced questions Wednesday about the use of force after the shooting of a man in northern Saskatchewan – the fourth since June involving the Mounties.
A 38-year-old man was shot and killed Tuesday night during a scuffle with an RCMP officer on the Clearwater River Dene First Nation. Top brass in the RCMP said answers are needed about what led to the latest shooting, along with three others in June and July.
“I'm concerned that situations are escalating to the need or to the employment of lethal force,” Supt. Randy Beck, acting commanding officer in Saskatchewan, said at RCMP headquarters in Regina.
“It doesn't reflect well on the safety of our communities or our sense of safety. I want to find the answers to that,” he said.
RCMP said the latest shooting occurred when two officers went to a home to arrest a man for outstanding Criminal Code warrants, but he fled on foot. One of the officers chased the man and a single shot was fired as the two struggled.
Relatives have identified the dead man as Harry Haineault.
On the reserve, located next to the village of La Loche some 600 kilometres north of Saskatoon, Chief Roy Cheecham said details of the shooting were scarce. Chief Cheecham said he has been on the phone with various members of Mr. Haineault's family but he doesn't know the circumstances surrounding the shooting.
Chief Cheecham said he's concerned any time there is a police shooting on a reserve.
“Whether it's warranted or not is the question, but we need to get the facts,” he said.
RCMP spokeswoman Carole Raymond would not identify the dead man or say whether he was armed. She did say members had made several attempts over the previous days to enforce the warrants.
“The three warrants that were in effect were for 15 charges total. I certainly won't break it down exactly what they were for, I will not discuss what was on the warrants, the charges, but will say there were 15 charges total,” said Ms. Raymond.
The RCMP Saskatoon major crimes unit is leading the investigation. As well, the provincial Justice Department has assigned an observer from the Saskatoon Police Service.
The probe is the just latest into an RCMP shooting in Saskatchewan.
Two men were injured in separate shootings in July.
In June, an RCMP officer fatally shot a 21-year-old man on the White Bear reserve southeast of Regina – prompting Lawrence Joseph, chief of the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations, to accuse RCMP in the province of “Rambo-style policing.”
Chief Joseph was unavailable Wednesday, but had scheduled a news conference for Thursday to comment on the shooting on the Clearwater River Dene Nation.
Supt. Beck said he wants to meet with First Nations and provincial officials as soon as possible to find the root causes in the incidents.
“They are all looked at individually and I'm concerned with all of them in one, as one topic, one issue of escalation of incidents,” said Supt. Beck.
“I believe it's a larger picture that needs to be looked at as well. It's not a singular response, it's not just police, it's not just community but it's everyone together to find the cause to this escalation.”
