Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, has issued a statement to mark the fifth anniversary of the deadly shootings in La Loche.
He says, “Five years ago today, a senseless attack in the community of La Loche, Saskatchewan, killed four Canadians and seriously injured seven more. On this solemn anniversary, I join Saskatchewanians and all Canadians to remember and pay tribute to those whose lives were lost.”

Trudeau offered deepest sympathies to the families and loved ones, to the survivors, and to everyone living with the pain and trauma caused by the attack. He also honoured the first responders, Indigenous communities, and frontline service providers whose courage helped save lives at Dene High School and prevented greater tragedy.

The Prime Minister used the tragedy to raise his government’s decision last year to ban more than 1,500 models of assault-style firearms and their variants.

Later, Premier Scott Moe released a statement on the shooting saying, “Everyone in this community felt the impact and everyone in the province shared your grief; but during this time we also saw great courage, we saw compassion, we saw a community united and determined to recover and rebuild in the face of adversity that most of us could never imagine.”

The premier says, “Today is also a day of reflection, reflection of the healing that has taken place over the past five-years, and the healing that will continue on.”

The shooting was committed by a then 17 year old Randan Fontaine. He would plead guilty to first and second degree murder, and attempted murder.
He was sentenced as an adult in May 2018 to life with no chance of parole for 10 years.