An Estevan police officer will not face charges in a 2023 shooting that left a 19-year-old suspect dead.
The Saskatchewan Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT) released the findings of its investigation into the incident Thursday, and said the use of force employed by the officer fell within the range protected by law, and that no Criminal Code offence was committed.
The victim, Justice Guillas, was arrested Nov. 1, 2023, after his 46-year-old mother was found seriously injured with stab wounds. She later died in hospital.
Guillas was taken to Estevan police headquarters, where police said he grabbed an officer’s firearm while being processed, and in the ensuing struggle, one officer was shot and injured, while another fired at Guillas, who died in hospital later that afternoon.
SIRT said it reviewed video footage from various cameras in the building leading up to the incident, but there was no footage that directly captured the room in which the shooting occurred.
Numerous witnesses, including 11 police officers, were interviewed as part of the investigation.
SIRT’s mandate is to investigate allegations of serious injuries or deaths, as well as other types of interpersonal violence involving Saskatchewan police officers, both on and off-duty, as well as incidents that occur while a person is in police custody.