Saskatchewan’s police watchdog says no charges will be laid against two RCMP officers involved in the fatal shooting of a 19-year-old man near Deschambault Lake last year. The Saskatchewan Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT) says the shooting happened on Aug. 8, 2025 after officers responded to reports of a gunshot in the community. According to a report sent by SIRT on Thursday, two Deschambault Lake RCMP officers were investigating when they found a group of people near the lakeshore in a wooded area. Police believed a wanted gang member might be among the group and approached on foot. “At approximately 8:46 a.m., the subject officers communicated to each other over the radio that they had been compromised, and decided to move in. Prior to confirming that the members’ position had been compromised, SO1 [subject officer 1] heard a member of the group stating words to the effect of “it’s ride or die time,” and while SO1 was unclear as to the speaker’s intent, indicated that the phrase raised his perception of risk during the incident,” SIRT reports read. SIRT says the 19-year-old man, identified only as the affected person, picked up a sawed-off .22-calibre rifle after officers moved in and announced their presence. Investigators found officers repeatedly told the man to drop the weapon. Civilian witnesses and officers told SIRT the man pointed the rifle at one of the officers and appeared to be trying to get into a position to shoot. Both officers then fired their service pistols, striking the man several times. The man died at the scene. SIRT says it interviewed six officers and five civilian witnesses, examined physical evidence and reviewed police recordings and data. “At the time of the incident, body-worn cameras (BWC) had not yet been issued to the Deschambault Lake RCMP Detachment. One of the involved members had privately purchased a BWC for use, and footage from that camera was obtained during the investigation, but it was determined that the BWC was inactive at the time of the incident and the footage captured only the events following the incident,” SIRT report read. The agency says several witnesses who were with the man confirmed he pointed the rifle at police before he was shot. Investigators recovered the sawed-off rifle along with two pellet guns. Testing showed the rifle was functional and classified as a prohibited firearm. An autopsy found the cause of death was multiple gunshot wounds. “Toxicology results noted the presence of alcohol, methamphetamine, and cocaine in the affected person’s blood, all falling withing a range that could have caused or contributed to intoxication.” SIRT concluded the officers reasonably believed they faced an immediate threat of death or serious bodily harm when the man pointed the rifle at police. “The risk presented by an individual in such circumstances is both immediate and serious, and does not allow either for prolonged assessment, or the resort to a lesser degree of force, and accordingly, the level of force employed by the subject officers in response to this reasonably perceived lethal threat was both proportionate and necessary.” The watchdog found the officers’ use of force was lawful and said there are no grounds to believe a criminal offence was committed. As a result no charges will be laid.
