29-year-old man shot in home invasion on Peepeekisis First Nation

Police are looking for three suspects after a shooting at a home on the Peepeekisis First Nation in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Just before 2 a.m., the File Hills First Nations Police Service got a 911 call reporting a home invasion and attempted murder in a house on the reserve about 25 kilometres northeast of Balcarres.

Officers found a 29-year-old man who had been shot in the hip. He was taken to the hospital in Fort Qu’Appelle then transported to Regina where he is now reported to be in stable condition.

The investigation indicates that three male suspects forced their way into the house in the middle of the night and were calling for the victim by name. Several shots were fired during an altercation and one hit the victim. Several people were in the house at the time of the shooting including a 6-year-old who was sleeping in another room.

A search by the police canine unit failed to find the three suspects who ran from the home after the shooting. The trail went cold on a nearby road.

As a precaution the local school was placed under lock-down on Wednesday.

Local leaders focus on healing community

The band council also called an emergency meeting to talk about the growing problem of violence on the First Nation.

“It’s a tough day for our community. We have been faced with an unfortunate event involving a citizen of our nation,” said Deputy Chief Allan Bird in a news release. “This unfortunate event is an isolated occurrence in our community and is something we don’t experience regularly. We are working in a respectful manner with our citizens, the File Hills First Nations Police Service, and the RCMP.”

The statement went on to describe the positive work underway to provide more cultural events and recreation programs on Peepeekisis.

“We will be holding a community meeting to address future issues, how we respond as a community, and most importantly how we can work on healing our community,” said Bird.