The chief of a Saskatchewan First Nation says at least two people are dead and a suspect is in custody after a daytime shooting at the community school in La Loche, a northern community approximately six hours north of Saskatoon.

“La Loche is devastated,” said Clearwater River Dene Nation Chief Teddy Clark on Friday.

According to RCMP and the La Loche Community School, a lockdown was in place for much of the afternoon and the district was dealing with what it called an “emergency” and was “asking the public to stay away while the matter is resolved by the RCMP.” STARS Ambulance was dispatched from Saskatoon.

According to the district, the emergency was “occurring at the Dene Building,” which is for Grades 7 to 12. Ducharme elementary school was also under a lockdown “which will not be lifted until we hear (from La Loche RCMP) that it is safe … We will not be allowing anyone in or out until we have a clear idea of what is going on.”

La Loche Community School is for pre-Kindergarten to Grade 12, and houses approximately 900 students in two buildings, according to the school’s Facebook page.

Parents were being asked to not go to the Dene Building to the “active, ongoing incident,” and instead only to to Ducharme elementary school.

“We are in the preliminary stages of investigation,” said RCMP in a news release. “Further details will be provided as they become available.”

According to Eric Terryberry, a pharmacy assistant at Northern pharmacy in La Loche, said he heard the lockdown ended around 3 p.m., and that students were being bussed to the local auditorium for pickup by parents or caregivers.

“It’s kind of scary. There’s a lot of panic going on,” said Terryberry.

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