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5 inmates charged with murder after 2016 Saskatchewan Penitentiary riot

Five inmates have been charged with second-degree murder in the December 2016 riot at the Saskatchewan Penitentiary. File / Global News

Five prisoners have been charged with second-degree murder and attempted murder in a deadly riot at the Saskatchewan Penitentiary in Prince Albert.

The Dec. 14, 2016, riot in the medium security unit, involving roughly 185 prisoners, left one inmate dead and eight injured.

Six of those inmates suffered non-life threatening injuries after being hit by shotgun pellets as guards fired their guns in an effort to bring the situation under control.

RCMP announced on June 29 that a fifth inmate had been charged in their investigation.

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Sundance Okemaysim, 27, is facing the same charges as his fellow inmates. His first Prince Albert provincial court appearance has not been scheduled yet.

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Jason Leonard Bird, 43, was found unresponsive by corrections officers after the disturbance. He was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Bird was serving a two year and seven month sentence for break and enter, and theft convictions.

A 31-year-old man was assaulted during the riot.

Kelfert Wayne Watetch, 27, Brandon Wyatt Burns, 24, and Landon Bryce McKay, 21, were charged following an 18-month long RCMP investigation.

They appeared on June 25 in Prince Albert provincial court.

Police announced on June 28 that Klaine Joseph Campeau, 25, is facing the same charges in relation to Bird’s death.

A date for his first court appearance has not been set.

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