A Manitoba First Nations Police Service officer has been cleared of wrongdoing after use of force against a “severely intoxicated” male that paramedics later refused to transport to the hospital because of his reported drunkenness and belligerence.

The Independent Investigation Unit (IIU) of Manitoba wrote on Thursday after interviewing the arrested male, a witness and two officers that the actions of the MFNPS member were reasonable. A report from this year detailed that the officer responded on Nov. 22, 2023 to a call for service at Birdtail Sioux First Nation and found a woman asking the officer to remove a drunk man from the property.

The woman later told investigators her children were present and she directed her attention to securing their well-being. She added that when she returned to the scene of arrest, she saw the male forced into a prone position by the officer, and blood on the floor and on the intoxicated male’s nose. An additional officer told investigators that they saw the man’s nose was crooked, and a separate officer said they witnessed the intoxicated male resisting arrest and screaming.

“Following due consideration of all the circumstances and evidence, the (investigating) civilian director concluded the actions of the subject officer were reasonable and no charges were recommended,” the IIU wrote in a press release on Thursday. “The matter is now closed.”