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