'I'm still shocked:' Family reacts to RCMP shooting of man in North Battleford, Sask.

A 22-year-old First Nations man is dead after he was shot by Saskatchewan RCMP on Saturday night. 

Police said the incident unfolded in North Battleford on Saturday just before 9 p.m. CST. 

RCMP reported receiving a call from a man, saying he had been chased and shot at from a vehicle. 

Officers began investigating and located the suspected vehicle. RCMP gave chase, but the pursuit ended when police allege the vehicle rammed into a cruiser at the intersection of 15th Avenue and 105th Street.​

RCMP said shots were fired "in response to the driver's actions," wounding a man inside. 

Police say 22-year-old Brydon Bryce Whitstone of Onion Lake Cree Nation died on the way to the hospital. 

Cousin angry at decision to shoot

His cousin Eldon Whitstone remembers him as a quiet, yet outgoing young man.

"He was a good kid. I'm still shocked at what happened," he told CBC News.

Whitstone said his cousin had spent time in jail, and had been living in North Battleford before his death. He also had a son.

Whitstone expressed anger at the police decision to shoot and said he hopes whoever pulled the trigger faces consequences.

"There's other ways to stop and ... instead of shooting all the time."

Darren Stanley said he was driving around with friends Saturday evening when he witnessed a vehicle speeding by and later watched as a man was loaded into an ambulance. 

"I'm not really surprised because this is like a bad city."

External investigation

RCMP Chief Superintendent Maureen Levy said the Regina Police Service is now investigating the circumstances surrounding his death, as per RCMP policy. 

"What I can tell you is that there's going to be a lot of questions surrounding the investigation," she said, explaining that Regina police are now handling the file. 

"Our members [involved] are not currently working at this time, they're getting peer-to-peer support and different HR mechanisms and when it's appropriate for them to return to duty they will."

Levy wouldn't divulge details on how many officers were involved, the number of shots fired or if any weapons were recovered. 

​Saskatchewan's Ministry of Justice will also appoint an independent observer to oversee the investigation.

"Our thoughts are with everyone involved in this incident last night," Drew Wilby, the department's executive director of communications, said Sunday. 

Woman in police custody

RCMP say a woman inside the vehicle suffered minor injuries. She was taken to hospital, but released into police custody. 

One RCMP officer also sustained minor wounds but has been released from hospital.