‘We are all in shock’: family responds to Candle Lake man’s sudden passing after arrest

Mitchell was originally arrested on Aug. 10 and according to a media release from RCMP, officers had responded to a report of an assault with a firearm present outside of a residence.

Upon arrival, officers located and arrested Mitchell. He was released the following morning on an undertaking. Among the charges laid were assaulting a police officer and attempting to disarm a police officer.

Acknowledging his brother was dealing with mental health related issues, Vince alleges the officers barged right in and got into his brother’s face, doing nothing to de-escalate the situation.

“It ended up a bad scenario. They took him down and beat the living (expletive) out of him and the rest is history,” he said.

Stating his brother was an innocent man, whose name has been splattered all over the news media for all the wrong reasons, Vince said the response by the RCMP was grossly overexaggerated.

“He’d give you the shirt off his back or anybody. The salt of the earth and he had no bad intentions,” Vince said.

paNOW reached out to both RCMP and the Crown prosecution office but did not receive a response.

Vince says his brother always put family first. (submitted photo/Vince Mitchell)

On Aug. 15, officers executed a search warrant at Mitchell’s residence which resulted in the seizure of 23 firearms, a crossbow and approximately 100,000 rounds of ammunition. That’s when Mitchell was re-arrested and his most recent court date was on Aug. 23 and that’s when he was released on bail. Vince said when he last spoke to his brother, he gave no indication he would cause harm to himself.

“He seemed like he was excited to get out and he looked forward to being back with his family and just start carrying on,” Vince said.

Vince describe his brother as an avid outdoorsman, who loved hunting, fishing and quadding. But above all else, Steven loved spending time with his daughters.

Vince confirmed a funeral is planned for Friday afternoon at Candle Lake Community Hall.

Steven Mitchell’s next scheduled court date would have been on Sept. 13. As of Monday afternoon, the outstanding charges had not yet been stayed by the Crown.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice confirmed for paNOW the Saskatchewan Coroners Service is responsible for investigating all unexpected, unnatural and unexplained deaths.

“The Saskatchewan Coroners Service is conducting an investigation into Mr. Mitchell’s death,” they said.

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If you or someone you know is in immediate danger of self-harm or experiencing suicidal thoughts, please contact:

Canada Suicide Prevention Service (1-833-456-4566), Saskatoon Crisis Intervention Service (306-933-6200), Prince Albert Mobile Crisis Unit (306-764-1011), Regina Mobile Crisis Services (306-525-5333) or the Hope for Wellness Help Line, which provides culturally competent crisis intervention counseling support for Indigenous peoples at (1-855-242-3310).

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nigel.maxwell@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell

by Nigel Maxwell

‘We are all in shock’: family responds to Candle Lake man’s sudden passing after arrest

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