OXBOW, Sask. — A southeast Saskatchewan couple says they have decided to move from their Oxbow rental home following a firearms discharge incident that occurred in the town earlier this year.
In a Facebook post that was shared with SaskToday, Aleysha Van Rooyen said she and her husband Shaun-Lee have a neighbour who is an RCMP officer. On July 16, at around 3 p.m. to 4 p.m., the RCMP officer misfired her gun and a bullet went through the Van Rooyen's house.
She said the bullet went through their bedroom, and closet door and wall, to the bathroom and the other side of the bathroom. Nobody was home when the incident happened, she said, but the couple has pets.
Aleysha said the officer showed no remorse over the incident and never performed a wellness check. Following the incident, they did not have contact with the RCMP, leaving them to believe the RCMP was trying to “push this under the rug”, she said.
In an email to SaskToday, the Saskatchewan RCMP said it became aware of a firearm discharge incident the day it happened. An investigation determined an off-duty member of the Carnduff detachment discharged their firearm within their private residence in Oxbow. The officer was alone in the residence at the time of the incident.
"The bullet went through a wall and damaged an adjoined neighbouring residence," the RCMP said.
The Saskatchewan RCMP said it contacted the provincial Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT), who determined the incident was not in their mandate.
"The Saskatchewan RCMP completed an internal review into this incident and determined it was non-criminal in nature," the RCMP said.
The matter has been addressed internally, the RCMP said.
The officer involved is not currently on active duty, the RCMP said, but their current status is not connected to the incident.
The RCMP said it has been in contact with the occupants of the residence that was damaged, but it would not provide details of their communications with others due to privacy obligations. A follow-up statement from the couple said there has been just one phone call.
The couple said it is incredibly frustrating to see the RCMP describe what happened as non-criminal while they still have not received an apology from the officer involved.
They also wondered if the response would have been the same if an ordinary civilian accidentally discharged a firearm from their home and sent a bullet into a neighbour’s house.
Aleysha said they have decided to move to a different community in mid-September for personal reasons and because they feel their safety has been compromised.
