REGINA – The Saskatchewan Serious Incident Response Team has released details on an officer-involved shooting that took place last Friday in Regina.
According to their news release:
On Friday, July 18, plainclothes members of RPS had been doing a homicide investigation. At around 10:08 a.m. officers observed a 29-year-old male on a bicycle wanted in connection with the investigation. After losing sight of him, other RPS units were called in to assist with finding him.
Around 10:12 a.m. The man was found by police in the alley between Garnet Street and Athol Street north of 8th Ave. Two plainclothes members of RPS exited separate unmarked police vehicles, and a confrontation took place with the male.
During that confrontation, members issued verbal commands to the male. SIRT reports that one plainclothes member of RPS discharged a single round from a service pistol, striking the male. RPS then immediately called EMS to the scene, and additional police resources arrived to assess the man’s injuries. EMS came at around 10:17 a.m. and pronounced the man dead at 10:19 a.m.
At around 10:30 a.m., SIRT received notification from Regina Police Service that an officer-involved shooting had taken place. The SIRT’s Civilian Executive Director accepted the notification as within SIRT’s mandate, and directed an investigation. An SIRT team consisting of the Civilian Executive Director and four SIRT investigators were deployed to start the investigation. A replica firearm found at the scene was recovered and seized as an exhibit.
According to SIRT, their investigation “will examine the conduct of police during this incident, including the circumstances surrounding the male’s death. RPS will maintain responsibility for the investigation that brought police into contact with the individual.”
SIRT is also asking anyone who directly witnessed or who has video of the incident to contact them at sirt@gov.sk.ca.
No further information will be released at this time, and a final report will be issued to the public within 90 days of the investigation ending.
At Regina Police Service headquarters Tuesday afternoon, Acting Police Chief Lorilee Davies confirmed some details about the officers involved.
“So we had two officers who were initially involved. The one officer is a 22 year member of the Regina Police Service” Davies said. “Both of them work in a plain clothes unit investigative unit and so the officer who was involved is currently off work. We have a very strong and robust policy when it comes to incidents like that, balancing the investigation and also member wellness, and so that officer is off right now and they’re working with SIRT in terms of interviews and collecting information and all of that.”
As for the homicide investigation that was under way prior to the officer-involved shooting Friday, that still remains with Regina Police. Davies had little new information to share on that, other than it is “still a very active investigation.”
“Our officers are still working on that. They have a lot of tasks that they’re still working through in relation to that but yes the homicide investigation is still under RPS investigation.”
