Family questions why man was not apprehended after judge issued mental health warrant

The family of a Saskatoon man who was shot by police on Dec. 19 wants to know why the 25-year-old was not apprehended three weeks earlier, after a judge issued a mental health warrant.

The man is still recovering in hospital. Police will not comment on the specifics of what happened during the impasse in the trailer park on Rayner Avenue in the Sutherland area because the province's Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT) is now investigating.

The SIRT civilian director and seven investigators will examine police conduct during the incident, including the circumstances around the man's arrest.

"The subject remains in hospital and charges will be entered at a later date," city police spokesperson Kelsie Fraser said in an email.

CBC is not naming the 25-year-old because he has not yet been criminally charged. CBC is also not naming family members who spoke because they fear for their safety.

"We believe a lot of the disaster that happened could have been averted if authorities could have entered his premises earlier, to take him into care," a family member said.

The man's family members say they struggled with his dangerous behaviour and fixations for years before finally going to court in the fall of 2025.

Tactical decisions

The family went to a provincial court judge on Nov. 30 to apply for a mental health warrant that would force an assessment. Relatives were concerned about his refusal to seek care, and what they saw as delusional and aggressive behaviour.

A judge issued the warrant. The family says a police officer and a mental health professional, called a PACT unit, went to the man's trailer but were unable to get him into care.

"They decided it's too dangerous for them … and that they could not do anything unless (the family) got a sheriff to evict him," relatives said.

The seven-day warrant expired before that could be organized, they said.

Saskatoon defence lawyer Brian Pfefferle has extensive experience with mental health warrants.

"These are complicated situations; there's no easy answer to respond to them. And it's easy to demonstrate hindsight. But I mean, we've seen tragic situations where they say, 'OK, let's just bust in the door and deal with it immediately,'" he said.

"That's often going to lead to a more significant shootout."

A judge-issued mental health warrant "commands a police officer go apprehend the person and take them to be assessed," he said.

"Every situation that the police deal with is on a continuum of judgement calls."

Escalation

Family members say the man's threats escalated in the weeks after the initial warrant expired. They contacted the court on Dec. 19 to apply for a second warrant.

This time, they assembled a package of materials culled from the 25-year-old's online posts. CBC reviewed time-stamped and dated texts and social media posts showing the man threatening to murder family members, friends and neighbours in the trailer park.

"[The court] phoned us to say, 'Why isn't he apprehended yet?' Because they didn't know that the first mental health warrant had not been executed," the family member said.

"They told us we didn't need a mental health warrant … to go to the police with these death threats and these concerns."

Family members said they went to the police station but there was confusion at the front desk over how to handle the situation without a mental health warrant, or no apparent imminent threat.

That same morning, police were contacted by a neighbour who said the 25-year-old had tried to break into their trailer. He was also piling belongings in the yard in front of his own trailer. He also posted live updates of what was happening throughout the day and evening of Dec. 19.

From the family members' perspective, several agencies grappled with who was best suited to deal with the man.

They said patrol officers on scene were trying to assess whether he could safely be taken from the trailer, and whether he posed an immediate threat to himself or others. By nightfall, the police tactical unit also became involved.

Family members said the fire marshal had concerns about whether the debris piled outside the trailer posed a risk, and the park's owner had similar concerns.

Mental health professionals were there and communicating with the man, along with police, to get him out peacefully, the family said.

SIRT said in its news release that police tried to negotiate with the man from the late afternoon into the evening.

"At approximately 11:41 p.m., the man partially emerged from the residence and a confrontation took place, during which one member of [the tactical support unit] discharged several rounds from his service firearm, striking the man," the release said.

"Despite being struck, the man remained in the residence and refused to exit. At approximately 1:58 a.m., SPS members entered the residence and at approximately 2:09 a.m., the man was taken into custody. During the process of taking the man into custody, several less-lethal devices were deployed."

The man's family members said they are still concerned for their safety, and for his future. They remain frustrated by the challenges of getting mental health help for a loved one, they said.

"By the time we can finally get help, it is often too late. We want our experience to make life easier for future families."