Fishing Lake First Nation death marks 3rd fatal encounter between Sask. RCMP, Indigenous communities inside a month

A fatal officer-involved shooting on Fishing Lake First Nation marks the third time in the past month that an Indigenous person has died following an encounter with Saskatchewan RCMP.

The grim trend has warranted a response from the highest levels of Indigenous leadership in Canada.

"Can you imagine how those families feel? How those communities feel? How First Nations as a whole feel? Do we feel safe in our homelands? Not with this, absolutely not," Assembly of First Nations (AFN) National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak told CTV News.

The latest incident occurred Tuesday afternoon. Saskatchewan RCMP attempted to pull over a speeding van on Fishing Lake First Nation at around 1 p.m.

Police soon learned that the van had been stolen from a school in the community and that the driver was reportedly armed.

According to RCMP’s account of the incident, firearms were discharged after the van entered a field following a pursuit.

More shots were fired after the van came to a stop. The service did not elaborate on who had fired during the incident.

After the van had stopped, officers discovered the driver and lone occupant injured inside the vehicle.

He was later declared dead at the scene by EMS.

He’s been identified as 34-year-old Joseph Desjarlais of Fishing Lake First Nation – who was facing 20 charges in relation to a string of robberies across east central Saskatchewan.

A large force of RCMP were present on the first nation on Tuesday in an effort to find and arrest Desjarlais on his outstanding warrants.

His family has been notified of his death. Members of Fishing Lake have asked for privacy as the community grieves.

• Saskatchewan's police watchdog investigating fatal officer-involved shooting on Fishing Lake First Nation

On Aug. 29, a 31-year-old man from Clearwater River Dene Nation was fatally struck by an RCMP vehicle while an officer was travelling to a call in Buffalo Narrows.

On Sept. 9, another man died in an officer-involved shooting on Ahtahkakoop Cree Nation.

Chief Woodhouse Nepinak says incidents like the three that have occurred in the past month strains relations between Indigenous communities and police.

"In an era where we're trying to build a different country it's setting us back,” she said. “We need action and we need results. We need a different way of doing things and I think that starts with making sure we start to invest in First Nation police forces across this country."

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In a statement to CTV News, the Saskatchewan RCMP said it values the relationships between the service and it’s the Indigenous communities it polices.

“A critical part of these relationships is accountability and transparency and we continue to discuss the incidents that have occurred with community leadership,” the statement read.

The service went on to say that a serious injury or death is never the outcome officers want to happen. Adding that every call for service is unique and events on the ground unfold quickly and are dynamic and unpredictable.

“Death forever impacts the family and loved ones of the deceased, the survivors, witnesses and community – as well as first responders and those supporting the front line,” the statement added.

All three incidents are currently under investigation by Saskatchewan’s Serious Incident Response Team or SIRT.

SIRT serves as an independent, civilian-led unit responsible for investigating incidents involving police in Saskatchewan. Investigations by the unit are required if a person is seriously injured or dies in police custody or as a result of a police officer’s actions.