Charges are pending following the arrest of a man who police believe was responsible for a shooting that left one person dead, and another injured, in Pelican Narrows, Sask.
A man and a woman were shot Monday, according to Saskatchewan RCMP Insp. Ashley St. Germaine, who is the acting officer in charge of the provincial police’s major crimes unit.
The incident prompted an active shooter alert in the remote northeastern Saskatchewan community after the events on streets near the local health clinic.
The woman who was shot died from her injuries, police said at a news conference on Tuesday.
Her identity is still being determined by the province’s coroner’s service.
“(The man’s) injuries were serious,” St. Germaine said. His current condition could not be disclosed for privacy reasons, she added.
In response to the shooting Monday, neighbouring RCMP detachments in Sandy Bay, Creighton, Deschambault Lake sent officers to support investigative efforts.
Mounties remain on the scene in Pelican Narrows, St. Germaine said, adding they are gathering evidence to eventually lay charges against the person who was arrested in front of a home in the community on Monday night.
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The suspect was taken into custody almost six hours after residents in the community about 500 kilometres northeast of Saskatoon were ordered to shelter in place.
The inspector also said she could not say what type of gun used, nor could she provide any information about the person who was arrested.
She said this information cannot be shared as the investigation is ongoing.
Officials with Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation say that for safety reasons, schools and the local band office will be closed the rest of the week.
It also says the health center will offer limited services to clients with serious medical needs.
While RCMP later clarified the shooting took place near the clinic, initial reports suggested it happened at the clinic.
“Everyone deserves to feel safe in their community,” said Chief Supt. Murray Chamberlin, the officer in charge of criminal operations, at the Saskatchewan RCMP.
Mounties are working with local officials to help residents heal from the shooting and recent upticks in violence, he said.
In the community of less than 1,900 people, according to Statistics Canada, police say violent crime has increased drastically.
The chief superintendent reported a 49 per cent increase in violent crimes over the past 10 years.
Dr. John-Michael Stevens has provided services at the clinic for nine years and says staff he’s spoken to say that they — and the community at large — are shaken, he told The Canadian Press late Monday.
Steven said he’s due back in Pelican Narrows on Tuesday. When he arrives, he said he’s expecting to see a community that is “emotionally broken” and in need of support.
— With files from The Canadian Press.
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