Man charged in weapons offence on Sask. First Nation to appear in court

WATCH: The man charged with possession of a firearm after an incident on Zagime Anishinabek will make his first court appearance next week.

Keegan Panipekeesick, who is charged in connection to a weapons offence on Zagime Anishinabek on Feb. 4, will make his first court appearance Tuesday, according to police.

Panipekeesick is currently remanded into custody and is set to appear in Regina provincial court on Tuesday, Feb. 11. He faces two charges, which include one count of pointing a firearm and one count of possessing a firearm while prohibited.

It is still unclear if the 29-year-old is connected to the quadruple homicide that took place on Carry the Kettle Nakoda Nation earlier in the week. The Saskatchewan RCMP says its investigation into the homicides is ongoing.

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As of Thursday afternoon, the Saskatchewan Coroners Service was continuing with autopsies of the four victims – who consisted of two adult men and two adult women.

All of the victims have yet to be formally identified, according to the provincial police force.

Due to continuing evidence collection, RCMP maintained an increased presence on Carry the Kettle on Thursday.

• Sask. RCMP investigating Carry the Kettle deaths as quadruple homicide, believed to be targeted
• Four people confirmed dead on Sask. First Nation, investigation underway

In the update, RCMP reiterated comments made during its news conference on Wednesday –underscoring the complexity of its investigation and the fact that it is difficult to forecast when new information may be available.

“Please be assured that if there is information that we can release without compromising the integrity of our investigation or our privacy obligations, we will do so,” the statement read.

“As with any situation, if we determine that an imminent public risk exists, we will let the public know.”

The sequence of events began on Tuesday morning, when the File Hills Police Service (FHPS) was called to investigate “sudden deaths” at a home on Carry the Kettle Nakoda Nation at around 11:15 a.m.

FHPS deemed the deaths were suspicious and requested the aid of Saskatchewan RCMP.

The service’s Major Crimes Unit was deployed to the community.

At 3:15 p.m. that same afternoon, RCMP received multiple reports of a man pointing a gun at residents on Zagime Anishinabek (formerly known as Sakimay First Nation).

Police responded to the community in search of a suspect, who was revealed to be Panipekeesick.

He was arrested by the Regina Police Service (RPS) at a home on Mathieu Crescent in the early morning hours of Wednesday, Feb. 5.

Police also said two additional people were taken into custody at the home on Mathieu Crescent. Police are working to determine if they are involved in the weapons incident on Zagime Anishinabek.

Carry the Kettle Nakoda Nation and Zagime Anishinabek are located approximately 100 kilometres and 140 kilometres east of Regina respectively.

-With files from Caitlin Brezinski and Drew Postey.