Saskatoon police shoot man who fired at officers

Saskatoon police acting chief Mark Chatterbok said they had no choice but to shoot a man who was “posing a significant threat to our officers and the public.”

“He had a firearm. He discharged the firearm at our officers. There was no option to let him go.”

READ MORE: Shots fired in downtown Saskatoon

The shooting happened in downtown Saskatoon on Wednesday afternoon.

Officers were called to the 200-block of 4th Avenue South just after 3 p.m. for a report of a man breaking a vehicle window.

Chatterbok said officers “used a great deal of restraint,” using non-lethal options first, including Tasers and bean bag rounds, to defuse the situation.

Those proved to be ineffective and the situation escalated as the man ran towards 20th Street.

Police initially thought he was holding a pipe. It turned out to be a firearm.

“The suspect fired a shot at police officers and our officers used lethal force at that time resulting in the injury,” Chatterbok said at a news conference Thursday morning.

Police have not said how many shots were fired.

The 34-year-old man was shot in the shoulder. He also suffered dog bites during the arrest.

He is in hospital recovering from non-life-threatening injuries.

A gun with a round in the chamber was recovered by police.

Police are not saying if the man was known to them or had gang ties.

Charges have yet to be laid but police said he will face charges of possession of a weapon dangerous to the public and careless use of a firearm.

Police anticipate more charges will follow as they continue with their investigation.

The officers involved in the shooting have been placed on administrative leave while an investigation is carried out.

The Saskatchewan Ministry of Justice has been notified and third party reviews are expected to be held.

Meaghan Craig and Adam MacVicar contributed to this story