On March 26, 2022, Maskwacis RCMP received a complaint of two individuals discharging a firearm in the Samson town site. Officers were able to quickly locate and arrest two individuals and seize a loaded sawed off shotgun as well as a loaded sawed off .22 rifle.

As a result of the investigation, RCMP have charged both 28-year-old Kyle Dean Lightning and 18-year-old Barry Junior Saddleback both of Maskwacis with 5 firearms offences and resisting arrest. Both individuals have been released with court set for April 14, 2022 at the Wetaskiwin Provincial Court House.

During the arrest, one suspect sustained injuries for which he was treated by EMS and released. As a result of an regular internal review into the arrest, RCMP have advised the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) who will be initiating an investigation.

The duty status of the officer involved is under review.

The Alberta RCMP believes in processes that seek the facts and it’s important that processes taken to assess the actions of all those involved, including the police, are fair, transparent, and defendable. This is why, as soon as we became aware of this incident, we immediately notified the Director of Law Enforcement and initiated our internal review process. ASIRT has been directed to investigate the circumstances surrounding the actions of the police during this investigation.

Independent of ASIRT’s investigation, the Alberta RCMP’s internal review process has been implemented to gather a full account of what took place during this incident. RCMP training, policy, police response, and the duty status of the members involved will be subject to review. The Alberta RCMP is, of course, fully cooperating with ASIRT and will not be commenting further on this incident. All media inquiries about this incident should now be directed to ASIRT at 780-641-9099.