Sask. nurse shares scary details of patient who brought gun, knives into ER

WATCH: A Saskatoon nurse is sharing the alarming details of a violent situation at St. Paul’s Hospital last week.

A Saskatoon nurse is sharing the alarming details of a violent situation at St. Paul’s Hospital last week.

On Nov. 27, a psychiatric patient arrived at the emergency department with a sawed-off shotgun.

In a letter sent to the Saskatchewan Union of Nurses (SUN), an unnamed nurse said the patient also had three knives concealed in their pelvic area.

The letter says the patient used the knives to stab a window while threatening to sexually assault and kill a staff member.

Saskatoon police responded and located the gun in a hospital bathroom.

The next day, officers executed a search warrant at a home in the 300 block of Avenue R South.

A 38-year-old man was arrested and charged with possessing ammunition and uttering threats related to the incident at St. Paul’s Hospital.

Nurse calls for stronger security measures, SHA responds

The nurse said the situation underscores long-standing safety concerns inside the emergency department.

“We were supposed to get a metal detector, we were told the equipment was purchased,” the nurse wrote.

They said it was never installed due to the department’s layout and not enough security officers.

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CTV News asked the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) about the safety concerns.

In a written statement, the SHA said it’s piloting technology that can detect weapons at Royal University Hospital.

“This pilot will guide future deployment of this technology across urban emergency departments to provide enhanced support to protective services officers,” the SHA said in the statement.

The breaking point

The nurse said the Nov. 27 incident has left them questioning whether they can keep working in the department.

“I have reached my breaking point,” the nurse said.

“It wasn’t the gun per se ... It was knowing we had escalated our safety concerns appropriately through all the channels available to us and still we don’t have policies, equipment or the necessary security personnel to keep us safe so we can care for the patients who need us.”

SUN President Bryce Boynton said this situation is the government and health authority’s opportunity to make change.

“The flag’s been waved, many times, but this one is a tipping point for many,” Boynton told CTV News.

“This is your opportunity to do something, to step up where it matters most, to make us feel safe in our workplace so we can do our damn job.”