An RCMP officer has been relocated and reassigned pending the outcome of an investigation into two videos that surfaced on social media.
The videos show two different arrests made by the same officer in the northern community of Pelican Narrows, Sask., during the early morning hours of June 30, police said.
In the videos, RCMP said the officer was responding to calls involving weapons and has a gun drawn on the suspects being arrested.
In a video, the officer uses very strong language and profanities which was “concerning,” according to police.
Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN) called for the officer to be fired in a Facebook post on July 1.
“This video, which we have, clearly shows the racist and ignorant actions of this RCMP member in Pelican Narrows and reaffirms that racism still exists within the force. More must be done to stop this, including the immediate termination of this officer and the laying of appropriate charges,” the post read.
“The young man was on his knees being handcuffed by the fellow officer and the situation was under control. There is absolutely no need for the other officer to point his gun at his head shouting “I’m gonna f—ing kill you. Shut the f— up.”
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The identity of the person being arrested in one of the videos cannot be confirmed under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, RCMP said. A machete was seized during this incident, according to police.
In the other video, people being arrested are currently under investigation.
RCMP said the short videos do not capture the entire interaction between the suspects being arrested and the officer.
The incidents will be reviewed, including the moments before and after what is shown in the videos, according to police.
The officer involved has been temporarily relocated outside of the community and reassigned to non-frontline work, pending the outcome of a code of conduct investigation.
RCMP are aware of a third incident involving the officer while responding to a call involving a weapon on June 30. It is also under review.
Anyone with videos of these events is asked to contact any RCMP detachment.
Pelican Narrows is roughly 525 kilometres northeast of Saskatoon.
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