Regina Police Service spokeswoman Elizabeth Popowich said about 50 officers — including members of patrol, SWAT (with crisis negotiators), canine and various plainclothes units — attended to the call.
Police began an investigation in the area of the 1100 block of Elphinstone Street sometime around 6 a.m. Then, between 10 and 10:30 a.m., officers reported shots had been fired.
“Steps were taken immediately to surround the location, to secure the area and set up a safety perimeter …,” Popowich said. “Thankfully, no one has been injured.”
It wasn’t known who or what the shots were being fired at.
Throughout the day, various attempts were made to contact the occupants of the house involved — parts of which could be heard through a loudhailer being used by police on scene — telling them to come out. Police also made attempts to get a phone inside so they could try to open the lines of communication with suspects.
It wasn’t known how many people were inside the house, although Popowich said there were more than one.
At various points throughout the afternoon, several series of bangs could be heard in the area, which was surrounded by numerous marked and unmarked police units and members with guns drawn, including carbines. Earlier in the afternoon, police confirmed the sounds were not gunfire, although Popowich didn’t say what was causing the banging sounds, stating she wasn’t able to provide details on SWAT tactics used.
She later said she was unable to confirm whether any additional shots had been fired during the event.
At one point black smoke could be seen rising from the area of the house after a fire reportedly started in the backyard. Crews from the Regina Fire Department as well as EMS were in the area in the event their help was required.
Traffic was blocked off in the immediate area and, while there were no evacuations, neighbours immediately near the house were asked to take precautions and the public was asked to stay away.
Meanwhile, schools in the area went into secure-the-building mode for the day, although parents were able to pick up their children once school wrapped up.
Earlier in the day, a woman passed by the area, and appeared upset when she learned the house involved was hers. While she didn’t agree to an interview, she said when she left the house early this morning, it was empty. She said she wasn’t sure who might be inside.
While the occupants of the house were unco-operative throughout the day — someone inside was heard swearing at police late Monday afternoon — Popowich said time was on the side of the police despite it being a dangerous situation.
“At some point, people will become uncomfortable and be willing to negotiate,” she said.
She added: “We are prepared to remain until we can bring this to a safe resolution. Our goal from the start has been to safely take the occupants of the house into custody and safely secure any firearms on that property.”
She reiterated that “packing up and going away is not an option.”
“We know that we have people who are armed and they have already demonstrated a willingness to use firearms, and so we are going to remain until we can resolve this situation, and we want to resolve it safely.”
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