Investigators locate potential witness of fatal Prince Albert police shooting

Saskatchewan’s Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT) says its found a person who may have witnessed a fatal, officer-involved shooting.

The agency was brought in to investigate following the shooting which left a 34-year-old man dead last month.

They are reviewing video evidence from the area, according to a justice ministry news release issued on Friday.

Based on the footage, SIRT issued shared a photo of a vehicle spotted in the area of 400 South Industrial Drive on January 16 around 10:40 p.m.

The driver was female and investigators said they were hoping she may have witnessed the incident.

SIRT had not been able to identify the license plate. After the photo was circulated by CTV News and other media, the witness was located.

CTV News has since removed the photo at the request of the ministry.

In a news release issued following the shooting, Prince Albert police described the incident which led to the man's death as a "confrontation."

Language the ministry continued using in a preliminary update on the SIRT investigation, only adding that the alleged confrontation followed a "short foot pursuit."

The man was treated by paramedics at the scene and transported to hospital he was pronounced dead, according to police.

In the aftermath of the shooting, Prince Albert police chief Jon Bergen called the incident "extremely tragic and traumatic event."

According to the provincial government, a final report on the outcome of SIRT's investigation will be made public about 90 days after the investigation ends.

The investigation is the first for SIRT, a recently created provincial police oversight agency. 

Previously in Saskatchewan, an outside police service would investigate serious incidents involving officers.