Man dead after 'officer-involved shooting' in Prince Albert, police giving few details

A man is dead in what Prince Albert police are calling an "officer-involved shooting" Monday night.

According to a Prince Albert Police Service (PAPS) news release, it happened at about 10:40 pm CST on the 400 block of South Industrial Drive during a police investigation.

Police wouldn't say who had the gun or who fired it, but said it happened during a confrontation between police and the man.

"A firearm was discharged. The male was struck," PAPS said.

They also wouldn't say his age, but did confirm he was an adult.

The man was treated by paramedics and taken to hospital, but was pronounced dead.

Prince Albert Police were asking the public to avoid the area around the 400 block of South Industrial Drive. As of Tuesday afternoon, a section of the block was still closed off. 

The newly formed Saskatchewan Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT) has been brought in to investigate the officer-involved shooting, according to the news release.

SIRT is the province's newly formed independent civilian-led unit that investigates police-related incidents that result in serious injuries or death.

According to police chief Jonathan Bergen, this is the fourth fatal officer-involved shooting in the police force's history. The reason that police are not providing a lot of details is because they don't want to compromise SIRT's investigation, Bergen said.

"The primary focus of the organization is making sure the officers that are witnesses and involved are available to the investigation to ensure that that process is complete and extremely thorough," he told reporters Tuesday afternoon. 

Bergen thanked business owners in the busy area for their patience while the investigation continues.

"But of course, the intention and the need was to protect evidence, and for the the integrity of the investigation," he said.

No one from the SIRT was immediately available to provide more information.