SASKATOON, Sask. — The family of Stan Moosomin, who was injured in an incident involving Battlefords RCMP, joined First Nations leaders to again call for changes to how law enforcement officers respond to situations involving vulnerable persons.
Rosannah Moosomin, Stan's sister, said she wanted people to understand that her 45-year-old brother is a vulnerable person with mental and physical disabilities and is dependent on his family to support his daily living.
"What happened on Oct. 6 has had a serious impact on Stan and all of us who love and care for him. He was frightened, seriously injured and required surgery. Our family is now left dealing with the emotional and physical consequences of what happened," said Rosannah during a news conference on Wednesday, Oct. 28, at the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations' office.
"What is difficult for us is knowing that the officers were told about Stan's disabilities. They were told he could pass out or have a seizure when frightened, and they were warned about his disabled arm. We feel this could have been prevented."
According to a recent SIRT report, the incident happened on Oct. 6, when Battlefords RCMP attempted to stop a vehicle on Mosquito Grizzly Bear’s Head Lean Man First Nation around 1 p.m. The vehicle, with an adult male and an adult female as passengers, did not stop and pulled into the driveway of a residence.
During the investigation, Battlefords RCMP officers found the male driver had a suspended licence and an outstanding warrant. He was arrested without incident, while the adult male passenger did not comply with requests for him to exit the vehicle.
Battlefords RCMP officers removed the passenger from the vehicle and arrested him. EMS assessed him after being called to the scene. EMS personnel notified the RCMP that he was injured and needed further medical care.
Due to the nature of the injury, the RCMP notified the Saskatchewan Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT) to investigate the circumstances surrounding the arrest and injury.
More to come.
