Police say they never told Sask. Party that property damage at campaign office was gunshots
'That's what police said it was,' Leader Scott Moe told CBC Wednesday
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- On Thursday, Regina police confirmed an officer had been at the campaign office scene on Monday.
- Police say that officer being there had only come to RPS's attention Thursday morning.
- Police say they do not know why the officer was there or what they said to the campaign workers.
- That officer did not log their stop at the scene so there was no record, police say.
- Police say that officer was off-duty Thursday and could not be reached for more information.
- On Thursday, Scott Moe said the officer told campaign workers the damage was from gunfire.
- The officer had directed the campaign to contact police, Moe said.
Holes in two windows at a Saskatchewan Party campaign office are now the source of unanswered questions for Leader Scott Moe, such as why his party claimed they were gunshots.
Speaking on Tuesday morning in Prince Albert, Moe said the office of his Regina Northeast candidate, Rahul Singh, appeared to have had bullets shot into it.
"This is unprecedented for our province and unprecedented in a campaign," said Moe.
Police say they are continuing to investigate, but that the damage was not the result of gunfire. They also say that within the past week in the Glencairn area, officers have received multiple reports of property damage including: multiple car windows smashed, a damaged bus shelter and at least three other separate instances of broken windows.
Here's what we know about the timeline of the incident.
Regina police say they received a report of two small holes in two separate windows of the campaign office at approximately 7:30 p.m. CST on Monday. The campaign and the volunteer who contacted police did not know when the damage had occurred.
Police say officers did not immediately respond, as the details provided by the caller did not indicate an immediate threat to public safety.
Moe spoke at the campaign event in Prince Albert at approximately 10 a.m. CST on Tuesday.
Moe was facing questions about a former Saskatchewan Party MLA violating the province's conflict of interest rules and his gendered change room policy.
Unprompted, he brought up the incident at the Regina campaign office. Under questioning, he said bullets were fired at the office.
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Saskatchewan Party communications put out a news release a short time later. Singh was quoted as calling it an "attack."
The first officer to respond to the scene did not arrive until hours later, at 12:50 p.m. CST, police say.
At 2:35 p.m. CST, police sent out a news release saying their investigation "indicated the damage was not the result of a firearm discharge."
The Saskatchewan Party put out a statement at 3:30 p.m. CST, saying the "initial indication from the patrolling officer was that it appeared to be firearms related," and that they were relieved gunfire had been ruled out.
CBC tried over a series of emails with the Saskatchewan Party communications team to have the party clarify Moe's comments and his source for the claim it had been gunshots.
On Wednesday, Moe took no questions after another event in Prince Albert. As Moe arrived, CBC was able to ask him why he described the vandalism at the campaign office as a shooting.
"Because that's what police said it was," he responded.
The Regina Police Service said Wednesday that was not the case.
"At no time did our officers communicate the damage was a result of gunshots to anyone," the police said in a statement.
On Wednesday, Saskatchewan NDP Leader Carla Beck said Moe should be accountable for his comments.
"As I've often said, I think as leaders we all have a responsibility to be careful with the words that we use. We have a choice to to inflame or to show leadership," said Beck.
Beck said that no matter the cause, any threats of violence are unacceptable.
Police are continuing to investigate.
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With files from Dan Zakreski