An Onion Lake Cree Nation man charged with shooting his neighbour was released from jail.
Christopher Cook, 26, appeared in Lloydminster Provincial Court for a show cause hearing May 14 and was granted bail.
Cook was held in custody since his arrest for allegedly shooting his neighbour on Onion Lake Cree Nation.
Police say the two lived across the street from one another.
The charges against Cook stem from an incident where Onion Lake RCMP responded to a call about a man who was shot on April 20. A 50-year-old man was given medical treatment at the scene and taken to hospital.
Police arrested Cook without incident. He was charged with numerous offences including aggravated assault, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, unauthorized possession of a firearm, using a firearm in committing an offence, and discharging a firearm with intent.
The charges against Cook haven’t been proven in court.
North Battleford Provincial General Investigation Section of the RCMP, North Battleford Forensic Identification Service, and the North Battleford Police Dog Service assisted in the investigation. RCMP officers from Onion Lake, Glaslyn, and Turtleford Detachments, as well as the Maidstone RCMP Roving Traffic Unit also responded.
OLCN has been under a state of emergency since January 2020 when the leadership declared it because of escalating drug and gang-related violence they say threatened its residents. OLCN has three townships on 188,000 acres. It is located about 30 kilometres north of Lloydminster, Sask. and borders both Alberta and Saskatchewan.
When the crown is proceeding by indictable offence, defendants can choose how they want to be tried, including in provincial court by judge alone, in Court of Queen’s Bench by judge alone, or in Court of Queen’s Bench by judge and jury.
Cook is scheduled to appear in Lloydminster Provincial July 6 for election on how he wants to be tried.
