Family of man who died in RCMP chase say he’s not ‘just another dead Indian at the hands of the police’

The family of an Indigenous man who died following an RCMP chase Tuesday in Saskatchewan is looking for answers.

Joseph Desjarlais, 34, was found injured and unresponsive in a van following a police chase on Fishing Lake First Nation, about 230 kilometres east of Saskatoon. Police had fired multiple shots at the van during the pursuit, according to information released Friday by the province’s police watchdog.

His mother Yvette Desjarlais said Joey, as he was referred to by his loved ones, was the middle child of seven. She is grieving the loss of her son, who is survived by a 10-year-old daughter.

Yvette said Desjarlais was loved by all in Fishing Lake First Nation.

“My child may have chose the wrong path in life in terms of making bad choices, but he was still a human being. He was still my baby. He was loved by so, so many people,” she told CBC News in an emotional interview.

“It’s really surprising for me how much people have come to be with us during this time and how much people have come to realize that my boy was not a monster. My boy is a human being.”

Yvette said there is “a lot of anger because of the way he was killed” and noted this is the second Indigenous person from their community who died during a police interaction in recent years. In August 2019, 37-year-old Lucien Silverquill died after being shot twice by RCMP outside a home on Fishing Lake First Nation.

“I just want to know the details of why they shot my son and how many times they shot him,” Yvette said. “I want to know. There’s a lot of questions I have.”

Desjarlais’s sister Cheyenne Desjarlais said her favourite memory of her brother was how he taught her kids about harvesting wildlife in a culturally appropriate way. 

“He was so much more than what he was portrayed to be, so much more.… I wish the world could have seen what we got to see with him, how he was every time he was with his nieces and nephews,” she said.

She said the kids followed him around “like little baby ducklings always right behind him.”

Cheyenne said her brother loved hunting from childhood and even taught her kids about it. She said he was a loving father and was his daughter’s entire world.

“His daughter sat on that road for seven hours. The majority of the time his daughter sat on that road upset because her dad was lying there on the ground before they removed his body,” she said.

Cheyenne said she believes the police “were gun ready right from the beginning” and had searched Yvette’s house two nights before the Tuesday incident. 

She said the relationship between the RCMP and their community needs to be mended.

“He’s not gonna be just another dead Indian at the hands of the RCMP,” Cheyenne said.

SIRT investigating

On Friday, Saskatchewan’s Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT) provided some details about Tuesday’s incident.

A team, consisting of the civilian executive director and five investigators, began investigating “immediately” after being notified about the death.

SIRT said RCMP received information at about 1:30 p.m. Tuesday that Desjarlais had been seen on the Fishing Lake First Nation. He was wanted in connection with several recent robberies and “had been the subject of recent public bulletins,” the news release said.

At about 1 p.m., police saw a white van and “received information” it was being driven by Desjarlais. Officers tried a traffic stop, which failed, and as that was happening, RCMP received a call reporting a man had just stolen the white van.

“The caller also stated they believed the man to be armed with a firearm,” SIRT said.

This is how SIRT describes what followed:

“The pursuit of the van continued through the Fishing Lake First Nation and surrounding area before the van returned to a residence on the First Nation. The van slowed and RCMP vehicles attempted to intercept. During this encounter two RCMP members discharged their service firearms, striking the van.

“The van continued around the residence and drove through a wooded area and along a narrow path toward another residential area of the First Nation, where an RCMP vehicle made contact with the van, which came to a stop. The man was observed to be inside the van and unresponsive. The man was removed from the van by police, who provided first aid until the arrival of EMS, who pronounced the man deceased.”

SIRT investigators recovered a loaded shotgun and spent shell casing from the white van, the news release said.

The team’s investigation will now examine the conduct of police during the incident, including the circumstances surrounding Desjarlais’s death. A final report will be issued to the public within 90 days of the investigation ending, SIRT said.

There are some differences between SIRT’s report and what RCMP said in its initial news release about the death. 

RCMP had made no reference to the pursuit beginning in a residential area, as the SIRT news release indicated. Instead, the RCMP news release indicated officers pursued the van through roads in rural areas.

Additionally, there was no word from police in their initial news release about a gun being seized.

‘We need action now’: MP

This is the third SIRT investigation into a death of an Indigenous person involving police in Saskatchewan in less than a month.

On Aug. 29, a 31-year-old man from Clearwater River Dene Nation died after being hit by an officer driving an RCMP vehicle on Highway 909 near Turnor Lake, which is about 580 kilometres northwest of Saskatoon.

On Sept. 8, a 31-year-old man died after being shot by an RCMP officer on Ahtahkakoop Cree Nation, about 65 kilometres northwest of Prince Albert.

The three deaths in Saskatchewan are among at least eight deaths of Indigenous people involving RCMP or municipal police officers since Aug. 29.

During Friday’s question period in Ottawa, Lori Idlout, NDP MP for the riding of Nunavut, said Indigenous peoples “across Canada are still dying at the hands of the police and RCMP.” 

Referring to Desjarlais’ death, Idlout said another life has been lost.

“Instead of acting, this government wants another study on policing. Studies won’t save lives,” she told the parliament.

“We need action now.”