Saskatoon police chief offers update on officer-involved shooting

Saskatoon Police Service Chief Troy Cooper provided a bit more information Thursday about the officer-involved shooting of a 35-year-old man that occurred Wednesday.

According to a media release issued after the incident, police got a call at around 11:30 a.m., about a fight at a home on Avenue L South. Police said one of the men involved in the altercation took off on foot, armed with a handgun and a machete.

Officers found the man a short time later and, after a confrontation on Avenue U South, several shots were fired by police. The release said the suspect received a non-life-threatening wound.

Cooper confirmed Thursday that one officer fired his gun “several times” at the man, who was taken to hospital for treatment. The man was released from hospital and now is in police custody.

“Our officers are often called to unpredictable, dynamic situations where they must rely on their extensive training and make split-second judgments,” Cooper said in a release. “It is fortunate that there was no physical injury to our staff members, and that it did not result in more serious injury to the suspect.

“The fact that an injury did occur as a result of police action triggers an independent process of investigation and oversight. The Regina Police Service will complete this investigation, and it is well underway.”

The release said more information will be released by the Regina police when it becomes available.