ONION LAKE CREE NATION – The shooting death of 37-year-old Jesse Leigh Heathen on Dec. 6 has sparked calls from some residents of Onion Lake Cree Nation (OLCN) for Chief and Council to declare a state of emergency.
The murder has left OLCN, which borders Saskatchewan and Alberta and is located about 50 kilometres north of Lloydminster, on edge with growing concerns over rising violence and unsolved crimes.
“Our chief doesn’t want to declare a state of emergency,” one Onion Lake resident, who didn’t want to be identified, told Â鶹´«Ã½AV.
OLCN Okimaw (Chief) Henry Lewis was contacted for comment but didn’t respond and hasn’t acted on calls for a state of emergency.
According to Saskatchewan RCMP, Onion Lake RCMP officers responded to reports of gunshots around 6 a.m. on the morning of Dec. 6. They say that shortly after reports of gunshots, they got a call that an adult male was brought to a medical centre in Onion Lake. Jesse Heathen was pronounced deceased by EMS at the scene.
A local resident described the initial scene as gruesome saying that "a lot of blood was found" inside a home where they said Heathen was allegedly lured in a setup. The resident said the shooting happened on a gravel road. This hasn’t been confirmed by RCMP.
Heathen’s body was dumped near the EMS site on the First Nation, said the resident. The resident also said that Heathen's family is determined - and will find out - who is responsible for his brutal murder.
This isn’t the first time OLCN, that has approximately 4,000 residents on 188,000 acres, has been rocked by violent crime.
On Jan. 24, 2020, OLCN had declared a state of emergency after drug and gang-related activity that led to increased violence in the community. Authorities set up check stops, banned known street gang members, and boarded up more than a dozen suspected meth houses.
According to Saskatchewan RCMP, since the beginning of 2014, they have investigated seven homicides in Onion Lake RCMP’s detachment area. Of those, charges have been laid in five of the homicides.
“The 2021 suspicious death of an adult male on Onion Lake Cree Nation and the 2024 homicide of Jesse Heathen remain under investigation,” said a Saskatchewan RCMP spokesperson in an email on Dec. 24.
Saskatchewan RCMP Major Crimes urges anyone with information about these investigations to report it to their local police of jurisdiction. Information can also be submitted anonymously by contacting Saskatchewan Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or
