Based on coverage from CBC, Saskatoon StarPhoenix, and Global News.
Horace Bear, an inmate at Saskatchewan Penitentiary near Prince Albert, has died after a fight in the prison’s maximum-security unit. Two other inmates were injured and taken to hospital, and Saskatchewan RCMP are investigating the death as a homicide.
Correctional Service Canada (CSC) says the incident happened Tuesday and involved “several inmates.” Bear died from injuries suffered in what CSC describes as an “altercation.”
Saskatchewan Penitentiary fight leaves one dead
CSC identified the inmate who died as Horace Bear. In a brief update Wednesday, the agency said Bear was serving a sentence of about two years and 10 months that began in December 2024.
Other outlets provide the sentence length more precisely. Global News and the Saskatoon StarPhoenix report Bear was serving two years, nine months and 24 days, starting Dec. 13, 2024. CSC has said Bear’s next of kin have been notified.
Two injured inmates taken to hospital
CSC says two other inmates were hurt and required medical care outside the facility. Both were transported to hospital after being assessed by institutional staff.
By Wednesday afternoon, CSC reported that one of the injured inmates had been treated and returned to the penitentiary later Tuesday evening. The other inmate remained in hospital.
The StarPhoenix also reports that no staff members were injured during the incident, matching CSC’s account.
Maximum-security unit locked down after altercation
The fight took place in the maximum-security unit, which was immediately locked down. CSC says the institution shifted to a “modified routine” following the incident.
According to CSC, operations were modified to keep the institution safe and to allow both CSC and police to conduct investigations. As of Wednesday afternoon, the prison was still operating under that modified routine.
Saskatchewan RCMP homicide unit leads investigation
Saskatchewan RCMP confirmed they are investigating Bear’s death as a homicide. Global News reports RCMP consider the death suspicious and have taken control of the investigation, with the RCMP’s homicide unit continuing its work.
CSC says police and the coroner were notified, which it describes as standard procedure. CSC also says it will review the circumstances surrounding the death, as it does in all cases where an inmate dies in custody.
For people in Prince Albert and across Saskatchewan, the next updates will likely hinge on what RCMP determine about how the fight started, who was involved, and whether charges will follow.
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