LA RONGE – A trial has been set for one man and a preliminary hearing for two others who were arrested following a standoff and shoot out on Cumberland House Cree Nation last year where a man was fatally shot.
Anthony Kadachuk, 25, and Bernie Kadachuk, 21, from Cumberland House, along with Gage Pratt, 26, from Prince Albert, face numerous weapons and drug trafficking related charges.
Pratt’s trial is set for Oct. 17 and preliminary hearings for Bernie Kadachuk and Anthony Kadachuk are set for Aug. 8 in Prince Albert Provincial Court. All three were released from custody.
They were arrested following a shoot out with police on June 2, 2022. Cumberland House RCMP had received information that a man wanted on a warrant for assaulting a police officer was on Cumberland House Cree Nation. Police contained a home on Pemmican Portage Ave. and then saw a man there with a firearm so they requested backup and the Sask. RCMP Critical Incident Response Team [CIRT] was immediately deployed. CIRT is a group of highly-trained police officers who use advanced technology and negotiation skills to assist in the resolution of critical incidents as safely as possible.
A civil emergency alert – reserved for the most dangerous situations – was issued at 1:13 p.m. asking people to stay inside their homes, lock their doors and windows, and avoid picking up any hitchhikers. The Nisto Awasisak Memorial School was placed on lockdown and multiple nearby residents were evacuated from their homes.
Right after the alert was issued, two people came out of the home and surrendered and were arrested. A short time later, a third person also surrendered and was arrested. Police seized a loaded firearm from one of them.
Several others remained inside the home and started shooting at police.
A second civil emergency alert was issued at 3:18 p.m.
RCMP Critical Incident Response Team officers used a variety of tactics to get them to stop shooting, exit the residence, and safely arrest them. They didn’t comply and shots were exchanged between an occupant and RCMP CIRT officers.
About an hour later, at 4:50 p.m., a man exited the home and was arrested without incident. He was taken to hospital for an unrelated medical condition and he told police there was another injured man inside the home. RCMP CIRT officers went into the home and found the injured man. Emergency medical care was provided by RCMP officers who had advanced medical training. He was taken to hospital by EMS where he was declared deceased. He was identified as a 22-year-old man from Prince Albert.
As a result, the RCMP requested Moose Jaw Police Service to conduct an independent, external investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death and requested that the Ministry of Justice appoint an independent investigation.
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