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A person has been arrested and an active shooter alert has ended after one victim was killed and another seriously injured in Pelican Narrows.
No other injuries were reported, Saskatchewan RCMP said Monday evening. RCMP did not release any more information about the person arrested or the two victims.
Police announced the arrest Monday night. Before the arrest, police were searching for a male wearing all black clothing and a face covering. They had warned people not to approach anyone matching that description.
RCMP are expected to provide more information Tuesday.
Pelican Narrows, which is part of Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation, is about 420 kilometres northeast of Saskatoon.
RCMP were sent to a reported shooting near the community’s health clinic shortly before 2 p.m. CST and sent an alert saying there was an active shooter in Pelican Narrows. In an afternoon update, police said the male was on foot, headed in an unknown direction.
Earlier Monday, RCMP asked people to find a safe location and lock their doors. They also asked people to not share police locations and to stay away from the area.
A week and a half ago, leaders in Pelican Narrows pleaded for help with what they called “ongoing and serious violence” in their community.
They banned all private gatherings and prohibited the use of all-terrain vehicles and other off-road vehicles.
Leaders also said they were going to re-establish security checkpoints. On Friday, the First Nation announced the checkpoint was operating and would remain in place “until further notice.”
The increase in security measures came after two homicides in the community, including a shooting death on May 21. Jaden Custer, 26, was killed, while Brett McCallum, 31, has been charged with second-degree murder.
On May 13, the remains of 16-year-old Jay’siiah Webb-Long of Ontario were found during a search, more than a year after he travelled to Saskatchewan and then went missing.
Residents and leaders have been calling for help regarding public safety concerns for years.
Pelican Narrows declared a state of emergency that stretched from late 2022 into 2023 amid ongoing violence, which some residents linked to the drugs being brought into the community.
Another state of emergency was declared in 2024, and the chief pleaded for help from the provincial and federal governments.
Since then, the First Nation has developed a community safety plan, hired a drug-detection dog and built a shelter for people experiencing domestic violence.
