‘We have sympathy for this individual’: North Battleford church responds after bear spray incident

“Preliminary investigation indicates this is not a hate crime-motivated incident,” RCMP said in an earlier statement.

Dewald said congregants were preparing for the 10:30 a.m. service when the reverend did not enter the church to begin worship as expected. Another member of the congregation then rushed inside calling for help.

“I ran out of the church itself and went into the hallway and I could see Reverend Maylon and Chris Katzell holding a person down who was struggling,” Dewald recalled.

“And I could smell bear spray. I went there and I helped to restrain them. The bear spray was on the wall, and it was so strong.”

“Everybody was coughing and almost choking and their eyes were burning.”

Dewald said the man appeared distressed as parishioners restrained him until the RCMP arrived.

“This person was very, very agitated and seemed in a lot of distress,” he said. “We tried to talk to him, but he just was kind of incoherent.”

He said members were guided out of the church to reduce their exposure to the spray. Dewald described the incident as the first of its kind for the church, although the parish has dealt with break-ins in recent years.

Dewald said it is not unusual for people to come to the church seeking food or money, and the congregation still wants to help those in need.

“If only he wouldn’t have used the bear spray, if he would have just came and asked for help, we definitely would have helped him,” he said.

The church is now considering having a parishioner stationed near the entrance during services to monitor for potential safety concerns while continuing to welcome people seeking support.

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Kenneth.Cheung@pattisonmedia.com

by Kenneth Cheung

‘We have sympathy for this individual’: North Battleford church responds after bear spray incident

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