Sask. investigators say man shot by RCMP approached officers armed with knives

The SiRT logo is seen in an undated file photo.

The civilian body tasked with investigating Saskatchewan police is sharing new details about an RCMP shooting of a Flying Dust First Nation man on Sunday.

Officers from the Meadow Lake detachment were called to a home in Flying Dust just after 5 p.m. on June 29. When they arrived, the RCMP says officers encountered a man with a weapon. One of the officers shot him, triggering the investigation by the Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT) — required any time a civilian is killed or seriously injured by police in the line of duty.

In a news release Thursday, the Serious Incident Response Team said a girl in the home called police reporting a family member was intoxicated and acting aggressively.

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According to SIRT, the officers were confronted by the subject of the call, a 39-year-old man, “almost immediately after arrival.”

SIRT says the man was holding a knife in each hand as he approached the officers.

“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 39-year-old was airlifted to hospital in Saskatoon, where he remains.

According to the RCMP, the man faces charges of assault, assaulting a peace officer, and carrying a weapon for a dangerous purpose.

Six civilian investigators were dispatched to the scene soon after the shooting. SIRT says two knives were recovered from the ground outside the home, and those have been secured as exhibits for the investigation.

SIRT is responsible for examining the conduct of police during the incident and the circumstances surrounding the man’s arrest.

A final report is expected within 90 days once the investigation has concluded.