A double shooting on the Dakota Tipi First Nation Thursday has community leaders calling for action to deal with violence and poverty.
A man and a woman were shot on Thursday in separate homes, prompting the community to be locked down as RCMP warned residents about an armed suspect on the loose.
RCMP announced via Twitter just before 2 p.m. Thursday that officers had arrested a suspect without incident after a tip from the public.
RCMP said officers were initially called to Dakota Tipi at around 4:30 a.m. for reports of shots fired.
Relatives identified Chris Pashe, 53, and his niece Gracie Prince, 30, as the victims of the shooting.
RCMP said the victims are both in serious but stable condition.
Daniel Pashe, a Dakota Tipi councillor, is a relative of the victims.
He said Chris suffered gunshot wounds to his face and lost fingers in an apparent attempt to block the gunfire with his hand. He said Chris also lost an eye.
Daniel said the shooting was fuelled by drugs and alcohol, that the suspect had visited his home earlier that morning when Daniel asked the man to leave. He said the suspect was "blacked out."
Daniel said the shooting wasn't over a drug deal, but that the suspect, who had recently moved back to the community after serving time at Stony Mountain Institution, had a "penitentiary mentality" and believes he became angry after consuming alcohol and taking pills.
Band councillors said this is not an isolated incident and that they want to work with the provincial and federal governments to create an action plan to improve the lives of residents.
"We are oppressed, we are in poverty," Dakota Tipi band councillor Karl Stone told reporters Friday.
Stone said drug abuse and alcoholism fuels violence in the community.
He said the community wants to hold a summit and push the province to allow the community to build a casino to create economic development.
Stone also said the First Nation wants its own police force.
Stone was critical of the RCMP's response during the lockdown. He said while police had formed a perimeter around the community there was no active sweep within Dakota Tipi.
Stone said the armed suspect was allowed to walk around freely for hours.
Police said Thursday they had arrested 31-year-old Tyson Pashe.
RCMP said Friday morning charges have not been formally laid, but are expected later today. RCMP said exactly which charges the suspect will face depend on whether the condition of the victims improves.
