Standoff involving gun lands man back in prison

Stress, consumption of too much alcohol lead to 20-minute standoff at local home

Less than a month out of prison, a 34-year-old man committed an offence that landed him back in — but could have ended with far more serious repercussions.

Jerry Raymond Keewatin faced a spate of charges heading into court Thursday, but ended up pleading guilty to just two: Possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose and possession of a weapon contrary to a prohibition order.

Court heard the man, originally from the Balcarres area, had what Crown prosecutor Chris White described as a “troubling and significant” criminal record containing violence and weapons offences. Having served the entirety of a prison term for break, enter and commit extortion, Keewatin was released in early July.

It didn’t take long for Keewatin to land back in trouble and court heard he was drinking heavily on July 21 when the most recent incident occurred.

White said members of the Regina Police Service responded to a number of 911 calls that day reporting what was believed to be a fight or an assault in progress at a Rae Street residence.

Police who attended the call heard crashing and banging inside and one officer heard Keewatin yelling and spotted him pacing in a bedroom. The officer later reported she believed Keewatin — who was talking about killing himself — was going to barricade himself inside.

Keewatin told the officer he had a gun in the room with him, a statement that caused the officer to draw her sidearm and back off a bit.

The officer didn’t go far, attempting to talk Keewatin into coming out. When Keewatin opened the door he’d closed, he emerged with a gun pointed in the officer’s direction.

She told him to put the gun down, and he reportedly lowered it, then closed himself back inside the room where he could be heard apologizing and screaming he wanted to die.

The entire incident lasted more than 20 minutes before an emotional Keewatin finally came out and was arrested.

Defence lawyer Dave Armstrong said his client was born to residential school survivors who suffered with addictions. As a result, Keewatin was raised by a grandmother.

At the time of the incident, Keewatin’s temporary stay at his sister-in-law ’s residence was causing stress, a situation not helped by the amount he drank that day.

“He certainly regrets his actions,” Armstrong said, adding his client appreciates the risk he caused to others and to himself.

In agreeing to impose a federal prison sentence of two years on top of remand credit — the sentence jointly proposed by White and Armstrong — Judge Margaret Gordon noted Keewatin created a situation that could have escalated further and “could have harmed the police officer, yourself or other people that were at the house.”