Suspect shot by Sask. RCMP in 2025 was holding empty handgun, report finds

An RCMP detachment can be seen in this file photo. (David Prisciak/CTV News)

The Saskatchewan Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT) has cleared an officer who shot and wounded a suspect following a chase near the village of Canwood last spring.

SIRT released its report on the shooting on Monday.

On May 28, 2025, members of the RCMP’s Warrant Enforcement and Suppression Team (WEST) found a vehicle associated with a man who was wanted in connection with several gun-related incidents on James Smith Cree Nation.

Officers attempted a traffic stop, but the driver fled and a pursuit began. At around 12:42 p.m., the SUV left the road and drove though a field and into a pasture east of the Village of Canwood, which is located 68 kilometres west of Prince Albert.

At 12:44 p.m., the SUV collided with an embankment and came to a stop. The driver, a 32-year-old man referred to as the affected person in the report, exited the SUV holding a silver handgun and got behind the vehicle.

The RCMP officer who was leading the pursuit ordered the affected person to put his hands up. According to the report, the affected person remained behind vehicle, moving from the front to the rear and finally back to the front.

• Download the CTV News app to get breaking news alerts sent to your device

As the affected person returned to the front of the vehicle, the RCMP officer fired at the suspect twice. The shots went through the front window of the SUV, with one hitting the affected person in his left arm.

As he fell, the affected person threw the handgun towards the rear of the SUV. Once on the ground, SIRT wrote the affected person threw away a bag which contained a loaded magazine for the handgun.

The affected person raised his uninjured arm up and was soon taken into custody. A woman who was a passenger in the SUV was also taken into custody. She was treated for injuries sustained in the crash with the embankment.

In its analysis, SIRT found the officer “reasonably perceived” the affected person was an immediate threat – even if in reality, the affected person’s gun was not loaded.

“While the firearm the affected person possessed was later determined to be unloaded at the time of the incident, there was no realistic or reasonable way for the subject officer to determine that given the nature of the incident and the speed with which it unfolded,” the report read.

In its conclusion, SIRT noted there were no grounds to believe an offence was committed by any officers who were involved in the incident. As a result, no charges were laid.

The full report can be found here.