Two men charged in connection to a murder that partly prompted Onion Lake Cree Nation (OLCN) to declare a state of emergency in January appeared in Lloydminster Provincial Court Nov. 4.
Vega Bear, 24, and Branden Dillon, 26, are charged with second-degree murder in connection to the death of Braden Richard Bull, 32, of Little Pine First Nation whose body was found on OLCN Jan. 21, 2020.
OLCN held an emergency meeting on Jan. 22, 2020, to deal with what they called increasing drug and gang activity on OLCN. They issued a media release on Jan. 24, 2020, saying they were declaring a state of emergency because the escalating drug and gang activity had directly led to increased violence in the community.
“On Jan. 21, 2020, the community of Onion Lake experienced what are believed to be drug and gang related occurrences,” the release said.
“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.”
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,” said OLCN in their media release.
“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.”
A day before Bull’s body was found, a short distance off Hwy 797 on Onion Lake Cree Nation, the RCMP had issued a media release saying Bull was reported missing.
Bear was arrested in September and Dillon was arrested in October. They both remain in custody.
Their Nov. 4 appearances in Lloydminster Provincial Court were adjourned to Dec. 2 to speak to the matter.
Onion Lake RCMP, with the assistance of the RCMP Major Crimes Unit – North, the North Battleford RCMP Forensics Identification Section, the Saskatchewan RCMP Polygraph Unit, the North Battleford, Prince Albert and Saskatoon RCMP General Investigation Sections (GIS) continue to investigate the homicide of Bull.
If anyone has any information that could assist investigators, please contact Onion Lake RCMP at 306-344-5550. Information can also be submitted anonymously to Saskatchewan Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or submitting a tip online at www.saskcrimestoppers.com.
Onion Lake Cree Nation borders the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan and is located about 50 kilometres north of Lloydminster.
