Around 1:00 PM CT, officers responded to a report of a man in possession of a firearm. While on patrol, officers heard gunshots, according to police. A suspect was located outside a community home and shot after what was described as an “interaction” between him and officers, RCMP said via Twitter shortly after 6 p.m. CT. The 22-year-old was taken to the local hospital. Today at 1 pm it ended in gunfire. —@rcmpmb In an interview late Saturday afternoon, Shamattawa Chief Jordna Hill said the man was waiting to be airlifted to hospital in Winnipeg and described his condition as “50-50.” “I pray that he makes it, that he makes it,” he said. Family members at the nursing station are “emotional and angry,” Hill said. No officers were injured, RCMP said, adding that the Manitoba Independent Investigation Unit, which investigates serious police incidents in the province, has been notified. Shamattawa is located approximately 745 kilometers northwest of Winnipeg.
Chief calls for review of RCMP policy
Hill said he has been in contact with indigenous leaders from the Manitoba political advocacy organizations Keewatinowi Okimakanak and the Assembly of First Nations about the shooting and hopes to set up a conference with them. He also said he wants a review of RCMP policy and procedures, saying shootings like this are a “common occurrence” in Indigenous communities. Hill said he hopes to keep the peace in the remote community after the shooting. People there are upset, he said. “There’s a lot of anger and shock right now,” Hill said.
