Larry Wahpistikwan returned from a dance at Moon Lake early on Tuesday morning and, as he was preparing for bed, received a panicked call from his brother.
He told him he had to rush to his house, where he believed Larry’s son, Neil, had been shot. The Big Island Lake Cree Nation man rushed to the home, where he found his son.
“It was past my brother’s house on the road, that’s where he was lying,” he said.
“When we got there, cops were there already. They were doing CPR. My other cousin there got shot in the back too; he was at my brother’s place.”
A couple of hours later, Saskatchewan RCMP issued a dangerous persons alert for two allegedly armed people who had been seen on an ATV.
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Police told residents to shelter in place for most of the day, locking down health-care facilities and staging a manhunt.
Police said one person was killed and three more were injured in the shooting. Investigators initially refused to confirm to media the identity of the deceased, the timeline of the shooting or the status of those who had been injured.
They later confirmed the three people in hospital have serious but non-life-threatening injuries. Officers said the age of the deceased was 31.
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Larry said he believed the shooters had used a shotgun and drove past when his son was walking.
“They killed my son,” he alleged.
While local RCMP arrived shortly after the shooting, the major crimes unit from Saskatoon did not make it to the remote reserve until 2 p.m.
The Big Island Cree Nation is close to the Alberta-Saskatchewan border and the community of Cold Lake, and is about 3.5 hours from Edmonton and four hours from Saskatoon.
In a brief update on Tuesday afternoon, Insp. Ashley St. Germaine confirmed few details.
“All day Saskatchewan RCMP police officers have been actively searching for the two suspects,” she told reporters. “Officers are, as well, investigating the scene and interviewing witnesses to determine if this shooting is random or targeted.”
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On Wednesday, police said they were still hunting for the duo. They offered no new information about where they might be or if investigators are any closer to locating them.
Larry said he didn’t know who the shooters were, but emphasized he lives in a small community that is desperate for better security.
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“Everybody knows who’s around here. The bad thing is the government … won’t even help us with funding for security. Security around here uses the band money … The government are not providing anything for us out here.”
Earlier on Tuesday, Perry Lasas, head of security in Big Island Lake, said police had told him to lock down the reserve and had set up a roadblock. Only ambulances and officers were to be allowed in or out.
Neil is the second son Larry has lost, he said, with another child dying in a drug-related tragedy two years previously.
He said Neil was a popular person with a busy social life.
“He was a fun guy, he had a lot of friends. He liked to joke around and go visit family and friends,” Larry said.
“This is the second son that I’ve lost. I just wanted him to get up from the ground. But it never happened.”
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Big Island Lake Cree Nation Chief David Sandfly offered his condolences in a statement.
“Our hearts go out to everyone impacted by this tragedy in our community,” he said.
“Keeping Big Island Lake Cree Nation safe takes all of us working together. When you share what you know with police, you help keep our community safe. Our leadership urges anyone with information about this shooting to contact RCMP immediately — even the smallest detail could make a difference.”
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