A man who was repeatedly struck by a Saskatoon police officer during an arrest is no longer missing, according to the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN).
Evan Penner was arrested by police on July 4.
A video released by the Indigenous Joint Action Coalition (IJAC) shows Penner being struck repeatedly by the officer.
The officer is eventually joined by seven others, five of whom also help restrain Penner. The IJAC identified the suspect as Penner, an Indigenous man.
The IJAC, along with Black Lives Matter YXE (BLM YXE), announced Penner had gone missing in a Facebook post on Tuesday night.
The two organizations said Penner’s family was concerned for his well-being and safety and were asking people who may have spotted him to contact the Saskatoon Crisis Intervention Service.
Global News reached out to Saskatoon Police Service (SPS), who were aware of the post, but said it was too early to comment at the time.
The FSIN announced Penner was located Wednesday morning.
“He is physically healing and his family is working on ensuring his mental health and wellbeing are also taken care of,” read a statement from FSIN.
“This is a very serious and stressful situation for Mr. Penner and his family.”
FSIN said Penner has a legal team that’s working remotely and will be in Saskatoon with him and his family as they “begin the healing process from this incident.”
A press conference with Chief Bobby Cameron as well as Penner’s family and legal counsel is expected to take place 9 a.m. on Thursday, FSIN said.
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Police said Tuesday the officer in the video was placed on leave after the video surfaced, but the union that represents the officer said that’s not the full story.
“He is not on administrative leave, he’s simply on his regular days off,” Saskatoon Police Association president Dean Pringle said.
In an email, a SPS spokesperson has since confirmed the officer “has taken a few shifts of leave before returning to work,” which is required after an officer is involved in a critical incident.
“This is different from when an officer is placed on administrative leave for disciplinary reasons or during a criminal investigation,” Julie Clark wrote in an email.
Pringle said SPS had responded to two prior calls about the suspect earlier in the day. He also said the suspect tried to grab the officer’s Taser and tried to bite him before the video was taken.
Pringle also said the officer is a person of colour and attends Indigenous cultural ceremonies.
The FSIN is calling on the SPS to immediately review and amend their use-of-force policies. It said it’s also renewing its calls for a public inquiry into systemic discrimination in the justice system.
– With files from Nathaniel Dove and Thomas Piller
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