No charges for Regina officer who fatally shot homicide suspect: watchdog

A Regina police officer will not face charges following the fatal shooting of a homicide suspect last year, according to an investigation by the Saskatchewan Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT).

SIRT's civilian executive director, Greg Gudelot, stated in an Aug. 14 report that the officer acted within the legally protected limits for police in Saskatchewan. The watchdog described its investigation as "comprehensive and thorough," including civilian evidence, interviews, the officer's statement, and seized items from the scene.

The 29-year-old suspect had been arrested two days prior to the shooting for a homicide but was released. Officers spotted him on a bicycle on July 18, 2025, while seeking to re-arrest him on murder charges. After losing sight of him, two plainclothes officers in an unmarked car located him in an alley.

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Concerned he was too close to the affected person [the suspect] the Subject Officer raised his service pistol and ordered the affected person to drop the knife.

According to SIRT, the suspect dropped his bike and held a knife. Despite repeated commands to drop the weapon, he eventually did. However, the officer's account states the suspect did not comply with orders to lie down. Instead, he placed his backpack down and reached into a pocket, producing an object the officer perceived as a Glock 19 handgun. A single shot was fired, striking the man.

Police later confirmed the object was a cellphone. An autopsy revealed the cause of death was a single gunshot wound to the torso. Toxicology reports indicated the presence of methamphetamine and cocaine in the suspect's system. The investigation also seized the knife and a replica gun.

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One plainclothes member of RPS discharged a single round from a service pistol, striking the male.