An Onion Lake man charged with second-degree murder had another court appearance Oct. 5 in Lloydminster Provincial Court.
Vega Bear, 24, remains in custody since his arrest last month after an eight-month long investigation by multiple police forces into the death of Braden Richard Bull of Little Pine First Nation.
Bull’s body was found Jan. 21, 2020, off Hwy 797 on Onion Lake Cree Nation (OLCN). His death partly prompted OLCN to declare a state of emergency Jan. 24, 2020.
OLCN chief and council held an emergency meeting Jan. 22, 2020, to decide how to deal with what they called increasing drug and gang activity. In a media release they said they were declaring a state of emergency “after a rash of drug and gang related activity, which has directly led to increased violence in the community.”
The release stated, “On Jan. 21, 2020, the community of Onion Lake experienced what are believed to be drug and gang related occurrences. In the early afternoon, RCMP were involved in a high-speed chase through the community. Within a few hours of the chase, the body of a missing man was discovered by a search and rescue crew combing an area situated near the community of Onion Lake.
“The Nation has now experienced three deaths directly related to drugs and gang activity within the last two months, along with numerous high speed chases and violent crimes.”
The release went on to say that later the same evening, a stolen vehicle lost control and drove into the wall of the OLCN Arena, causing extensive damage.
“Local officials found what is believed to be gang-affiliated graffiti inside the vehicle involved in the collision.”
OLCN said it continues to work closely with the RCMP for the assistance and protection of its people.
In addition, OLCN “banished” 32 individuals from the community in their fight against illegal drug and gang activity. The names and some photos of the banned individuals were posted on OLCN’s website Sept. 3. Vega Bear is pictured on OLCN’s banished poster.
Multiple police forces were involved in the investigation into Braden Bull’s murder, including Saskatoon and Prince Albert RCMP General Investigation Section, North Battleford RCMP, and Onion Lake RCMP, the RCMP Major Crimes Unit – North, and the North Battleford RCMP Forensics Identification Section. The Saskatchewan RCMP Polygraph Unit also assisted with the investigation.
Onion Lake Cree Nation has about 4,000 people living in their community, which is located about 50 kilometres north of Lloydminster and borders the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan.
Bear’s next court appearance is scheduled for Nov. 4 to speak to the matter.
