A dangerous person alert has been lifted in a remote Saskatchewan community, where one person is dead and another three have been injured, roughly 10 hours after police told local residents to shelter in place.
“At this time, investigators believe there is no longer an imminent risk to public safety. Residents can return to normal activity,” RCMP said in a statement Tuesday afternoon.
“No arrests have been made. The suspects remain outstanding.”
Around 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, the RCMP issued the warning for Big Island Cree Nation and the surrounding area, which is 3.5 hours from Edmonton and four hours from Saskatoon.
“There are two dangerous persons with a gun in the area of Big Island Lake Cree Nation,” police wrote in a statement. “The suspects were last seen on an ATV on Big Island Lake Cree Nation.”
The RCMP said officers were responding.
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In an update around 3:30 p.m., Insp. Ashley St. Germaine confirmed the dangerous person alert — which has since been lifted — was still in place.
“All day Saskachewan RCMP police officers have been actively searching for the two suspects,” she told reporters. “Officers are, as well, investigating the scene and interviewing witnesses to determine if this shooting is random or targeted.”
Around 2 p.m., investigators with the RCMP’s major crimes unit arrived at the scene, which had been secured by local police.
Despite the alert now being lifted, police said no arrests had been made.
The RCMP indicted the call initially came around 6 a.m. The first responders who rushed to the scene found one person dead and three more with injuries. Police could not share the extent of the injuries.
Perry Lasas, head of security in Big Island Lake, said he had been told by police to shut access in and out of the community down.
“I was told to lock down the reserve, so that’s what we’re doing right now,” he told Global News during the day. “Nobody in, nobody out except for medical people and cops.”
He said a roadblock was in place, with three ambulances leaving in the morning. While there have been lockdowns before, he worried the current situation seemed more serious.
“I think this one’s much more serious because of all the cops and investigators,” he said. “The van that just came in was more cops.”
The Saskatchewan government said seven health care facilities had been locked down.
Anyone in the area should find a safe location and shelter inside with the doors locked, officers said.
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