Police watchdog clears officer who shot suspect after pursuit near Canwood, Sask. (original) (raw)
An RCMP officer who shot a suspect in the arm after a vehicle pursuit in May 2025 near Canwood, Sask., acted reasonably, says the provincial police watchdog. The man he shot was holding an unloaded handgun.
Report says officer acted within the law when he shot man in the arm
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A Saskatchewan RCMP officer will not face charges after he shot a person in the arm, says a report from the Serious Incident Response Team that investigated the incident. (Jeorge Sadi/CBC)
A Saskatchewan RCMP officer who shot a suspect in the arm after a vehicle pursuit acted within the law and will not face charges, says the provincial police watchdog.
The shooting happened on May 28, 2025, near Canwood, about 60 kilometres west of Prince Albert. On Monday, the province's Serious Incident Response Team released its report into the incident.
It said police tried to stop a dark-coloured SUV associated with recent firearms incidents on James Smith Cree Nation. The driver fled in the vehicle, and at various points during the ensuing pursuit, it left the road and travelled through fields.
The pursuit ended in a pasture after the SUV collided with an embankment.
When the driver got out, the officer could see the man was holding a silver-coloured handgun, later determined to be an unloaded Norinco Model 1911 .45-calibre pistol.
The driver didn't obey commands to show his hands and stayed behind the vehicle. The officer shot through the vehicle's front windows, striking him in the arm. After the man fell, he threw the gun away from him and also threw away a bag that turned out to contain a loaded magazine for the gun, the SIRT report said.
The 31-year-old man was taken to hospital and treated for a fractured left arm.
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The report noted that under Section 25 of the Criminal Code, police can use as much force as necessary in the lawful execution of their duties, when they reasonably believe such force is needed to defend themselves from death or grievous bodily harm.
The driver's actions "were capable of giving rise to a reasonable fear of death or grievous bodily harm" on the part of the officer, the SIRT report found.
The officer saw the man had a gun, and the man's movements were "reasonably perceived" to indicate an intention to fight rather than surrender, it said.
Even though the man's gun was unloaded, "there was no realistic or reasonable way" for the officer to know that, the report said.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Hannah Spray works as a reporter and copy editor. She began her journalism career in newspapers, first in her hometown of Meadow Lake, Sask., moving on to Fort St. John, B.C., and then to the Saskatoon StarPhoenix. She joined CBC in 2022.