SASKATOON -- A Saskatoon police officer is on leave as RCMP investigate a widely-shared Facebook video of a man shouting at a child, sparking public outcry.
The video was part of a post made to Facebook on Feb. 13. In the post, the man is identified as a Saskatoon police officer.
The video contains audio of the interaction but does not clearly show it. It begins with a blurred image of a child, while a man can be heard yelling at another child off camera. A young person can be heard crying in the background.
“What’s a father’s job? What’s dad’s job? What’s dad’s job? To support, protect, take care of his family. He failed,” the man said in the video.
It is unclear what happened before the events recorded on the video.
As of Thursday morning, the video has been viewed more than 49,000 times and shared more than 800.
Alyson Edwards, director of public affairs for the Saskatoon Police Service (SPS), said it’s aware of the video, confirming that the officer is on leave.
“A complaint in regard to what is seen on the video is being investigated by the RCMP and we are fully cooperative with that investigation,” she said in an emailed statement.
Edwards added that anyone who has a complaint in regard to officer conduct is encouraged to make a formal complaint to the SPS Professional Standards Unit, the provincial complaints commission or the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN).
