The children of Geoff Morris, the man who died after an officer-involved shooting on Saturday, are hoping to shed light on the type of person their father was.
The Regina Police Service was called to the 1900 block of Halifax Street early on Saturday morning where Morris, 41, was found armed with a knife and holding a woman hostage.
His children confirmed to CTV News that the woman involved in the incident was Morris' fiancee, and the apartment where the incident took place was their home they shared.
One of the officers who responded to the call discharged their firearm and Morris was pronounced dead on the scene, according to police.
It was the first fatal police shooting in Regina since September of 1998.
'The best dad'
Geoff's daughter Kahaila Morris, 15, described her dad as a loving and caring man.
"We were really close in my childhood," she said. "I loved my dad so much, and he loved me so much. He always kept me close."
She found out about her dad's death from her grandmother, but said it wasn't until she saw the story in the news that she learned details about the situation that led to his death.
"I just couldn't stop crying. I was in total shock," she said.
Kahaila said her dad had a troubled past, and mental health struggles including PTSD, depression and ADHD. She said another death in the family a few years ago caused him to carry heavy grief. He had been in and out of jail in the past, but she believes he was trying to get back on the right track.
"I know he would never do something to hurt [his fiancee], or anything like that," she said. "He was going to turn his life around, and he was going to do better."
She said it's hard knowing her dad won't be there for the big events, like her high school graduation.
"For him I'll live on, and do things he couldn't do," Kahaila said.
Dakota Morris, 19, said she wishes she could have the chance to thank her dad for all he did.
"He really was the best dad," she said. "Thank you for everything you taught us, thank you for my siblings that you gave me, we're going to be strong and we're going to get through this."
Dakota said her dad wasn't a violent man, and she doesn't believe he would have hurt the woman.
Sticking together
The sisters said they - along with their three other siblings - are leaning on each other to get through this. They said they don't ever want another family to go through what they are dealing with.
"I don't want any other kid to feel the way my siblings and I do, because it hurts" Kahaila said. "The way my dad died, it shouldn't have happened that way."
They said they want to know more about what happened on Saturday morning and why the situation ended the way it did. They feel there are other routes the police could have taken.
“Honestly it wasn’t necessary for them to kill him, they could’ve just Tased him,” Jasmine Brass, who identified herself as Morris’ fiancee, said on social media.
She added that Morris was very depressed, and had spoken of his suicide plans in the past.
“I’m so broken right now, but deep, deep down I’m at peace for him to be free of his lifetime of abuse and depression,” she wrote. “I’m so mad at him for leaving me and for giving up when we were so close to starting the life we always talked about.”
Regina police Chief Evan Bray told media on Saturday that he feels his officers applied proper training, but said the investigation is ongoing, and will include oversight appointed by the Ministry of Justice.
An autopsy is scheduled for Monday, and will be completed by the Saskatchewan Coroners Service.