Saskatoon police fatally shoot man after confrontation near Pleasant Hill School

A 27-year-old man is dead after a fatal confrontation with Saskatoon police Thursday afternoon.

It happened on Avenue S South, near Pleasant Hill School, after officers were called to the area for a report of an armed man.

Loretta Desmeules, who lives down the street, was visiting with a friend when she says they heard a commotion outside.

"All of a sudden I heard a [sound], like, chick-chick-chick, and I looked at her and I said, 'What was that?'

"And she's like, 'It sounds like gunshots or something. No way!' And all of a sudden I hear, woo-woo-woo — not even 10 seconds later, we heard the cops come."

Police said in a news release that officers initially went to the area of Avenue V South and 20th Street. They spotted the man a few blocks away, near Pleasant Hill School, on the 200 block of Avenue S South.

"Following a confrontation with police, officers discharged their service-issued firearms. The 27-year-old male suspect was pronounced deceased at the scene by paramedics," police said in a news release.

The area around the school was taped off for the afternoon by police.

The serious incident response team (SIRT), an independent, civilian-led unit responsible for investigating serious incidents involving police officers in Saskatchewan, has been called in on the case.