The increased levels of violence being seen in communities like Pelican Narrows won’t be fixed overnight, according to the head of criminal operations for Saskatchewan RCMP.
Chief Supt. Murray Chamberlin spoke to media Tuesday, after a shooting incident on Monday in the remote northeast community left a woman dead and a man in hospital with serious injuries.
Pelican Narrows, which is part of Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation, is about 420 kilometres northeast of Saskatoon.
The RCMP issued a dangerous person alert Monday afternoon, warning of an active shooter who was on foot. It stayed in place until a suspect was arrested Monday evening.
“Everyone deserves to feel safe in their community,” Chamberlin said. “The RCMP is one part of the ongoing conversations with local leadership to find solutions to concerns around violence, addictions and other social issues.”
He said that in the Pelican Narrows RCMP detachment area, violent crime has increased 49 per cent over the last 10 years, which he said is “extremely concerning” given the small local population.
Chamberlin said RCMP have been working with the community to identify long-term solutions.
The chief of Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation has declined a request for an interview.
Community leaders have asked the media not to enter Pelican Narrows at this time. Around mid-day, multiple RCMP vehicles could be seen coming and going from the community.
2 victims shot short distance apart: RCMP
During the online media availability, Insp. Ashley St. Germaine gave an update on the investigation into Monday’s shooting, which she said is still in the “preliminary” stages.
She said there was a reported shooting near the community’s health clinic shortly before 2 p.m. CST Monday.
The two victims were shot at separate locations on the same road, just a short distance from each other, St. Germaine said. Police are working with the coroner’s office to identify the deceased woman.
Around 2:30 p.m. Monday, police issued a dangerous person alert, advising residents to find a safe location and lock their doors while police searched for a suspect who was on foot.
The school was placed on lockdown as the event unfolded, St. Germaine said. Police helped staff make a plan to get students home safely.
St. Germaine said the suspect was arrested at a home in the community shortly after 7 p.m. No charges have been laid yet, as the investigation is ongoing, so she would not provide any other details such as the person’s age or place of residence.
A second person was detained earlier Monday, but was released without charges.
The RCMP is asking anyone with information about the shooting to contact police or make a report anonymously through Crime Stoppers.
“If you saw something or know something about this shooting, please say something,” St. Germaine said.
One person is in custody after two people were shot, one fatally, near the health centre in Pelican Narrows, Sask., on Monday. No charges have been laid yet, and police can’t confirm the nature of the shooting.
Multiple homicides
The shootings on Monday came just a week and a half after another homicide in Pelican Narrows.
On May 21, 26-year-old Jaden Custer was killed in what community leaders said was a drive-by shooting from someone on an ATV.
Brett McCallum, 31, is charged with second-degree murder in Custer’s death.
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.
RCMP are treating Webb-Long’s death as a homicide and continuing to investigate.
His mother Shenice Long told CBC last year that she was shocked to learn police had tracked her son to Pelican Narrows.
New safety measures
Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation posted a notice to Facebook on Monday night that it was implementing new community safety measures, including:
- Schools will remain closed all week.
- The band office will be closed all week.
- The health centre will be limited to “serious medical clients” for the rest of the week.
- Child and Family Services will close to the public starting Friday but continue providing care for children.
- Court is cancelled for the week.
It said it would be reviewing all the measures again on Monday, June 8.
“PBCN leadership recognizes that today’s events have deeply affected many members, including children, families, frontline health staff, education staff and community workers,” the statement said.
“Support is being co-ordinated for those impacted, including trauma and mental health supports.”
The new measures come after others put in place on May 21 that 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. Last week, the First Nation announced the checkpoint was operating and would remain in place “until further notice.”
New policing model to be piloted
On Tuesday, Chamberlin said the RCMP is going to be piloting a new rotational policing model in northeast Saskatchewan in the fall.
He said officers will rotate deployments out of Saskatoon. They will be centralized out of Pelican Narrows and work in Deschambault Lake, Sandy Bay and Creighton.
The pilot project comes after detachments in the area have been continually experiencing staffing shortages, Chamberlin said.
He gave the example of Pelican Narrows, where RCMP officers from various detachments have been deployed to assist for a total of 888 relief shifts since January 2024.
“We remain committed to working with all levels of government, our partners and those we serve to modernize policing in Saskatchewan,” he said.
