Saskatoon police officer who shot man during operation cleared of any wrongdoing: SIRT

Saskatchewan’s police watchdog says an officer who shot a Saskatoon man while executing a warrant at a home on Lisgar Avenue did nothing wrong.

On Feb. 3 around 2:30 a.m., Saskatoon police were about to execute a search warrant on a Pacific Heights-area home where officers would find soon discover the body of 25-year-old Alberta man, Lee Perkins. One officer shot a 34-year-old man outside the home following a confrontation, prompting the Saskatchewan Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT) to investigate.

Its report released Tuesday summarizes its investigation of 16 police officers and three civilian witnesses, and clears police of any wrongdoing.

According to SIRT, on the morning of Feb. 3 police had surrounded the house and were waiting for the warrant to be approved when two women exited and police moved in to make an arrest, using an unmarked police vehicle to conceal themselves from those inside the house.

SIRT says the 34-year-old man then emerged from the house with a black cylindrical object in a two-hand grip and sprinted toward the group, before stopping and raising the object to his shoulder.

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At that point, according to the report, one of the officers fired two shots, hitting the 34-year-old man once in the abdomen, and he fell to the ground.

The man, referred to as the “affected person” in SIRT’s report, was treated for a gunshot wound in hospital and later released.

The civilian police watchdog determined that police on the ground were aware the 34-year-old man had a prior criminal history with weapons, and had made threatening comments to police in the past.

While laying on the ground receiving first aid, SIRT reported the man told police he was “saving the girls,” believing someone was being kidnapped.

“While the object the affected person possessed was later determined not to be a firearm, the overall appearance of the object is such that it could reasonably be mistaken for a firearm, particularly given the speed with which the event unfolded, the lighting conditions at the time of the incident, and the affected person’s prior history with weapons,” the report says.

SIRT ruled police were lawfully entitled to arrest the man, and under the criminal code, they’re entitled to use as much force as necessary to execute their duties.

“This can include force that is intended or likely to cause death or grievous bodily harm, when the officer reasonably believes that such force is necessary to defend themselves or someone under their protection from death or grievous bodily harm.”

In this case, SIRT determined the police officer was acting within the bounds of the law, and no charges will be laid.