The RCMP has removed an officer from a northern Saskatchewan community after a video surfaced that showed him threatening to kill a man during an arrest – one of three incidents that day in which he drew his handgun.

Residents of Pelican Narrows, Sask., have felt unsafe with the officer’s presence in the community after two videos emerged on social media showing the officer brandishing his handgun and uttering profanities during arrests on June 30, according to Chief Peter Beatty of the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation.

The videos emerge at a time when relations between law enforcement and Indigenous people in Saskatchewan are strained, with allegations of widespread racism stemming in part from the fatal shooting of a Cree man by a white farmer in August, 2016.

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The RCMP has removed an officer from Pelican Narrows, a First Nations community in Northern Saskatchewan, after a video was posted to Facebook that showed the officer threatening to kill an Indigenous man during an arrest The Globe and Mail

In one of the videos posted on Facebook, an RCMP officer is seen standing about two metres away from a man, who is kneeling and has his hands behind his head. The officer yells at the man and threatens to kill him, using an expletive, as his handgun is pointed at the man’s chest. As a second officer places handcuffs on the man, he begins talking to the two officers, his words inaudible in the video. The officer yells more expletives at the man, his sidearm still pointed at the man as he tells him he is being arrested for possession of a weapon. The man can be heard yelling at the officers: “I just want to go home.”

The RCMP confirmed a machete, visible near the man, was seized during the incident.

The RCMP said in a statement that the officer was responding to two weapons calls and has been reassigned to non-front-line work pending an investigation into the events. A third incident that was not captured on video is also being reviewed.

“We wanted him removed and relocated for the safety of that community, that’s the number one issue," Chief Beatty said. “No more interaction with that officer. For his own safety as well, for possible retaliation. We don’t know the mindset of those young people.”

Pelican Narrows, a town of about 4,000 that is 525 kilometres northeast of Saskatoon, is the largest community in the sprawling Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation. “The communities are very concerned. They are on edge to see an RCMP officer. If you do something wrong, will they pull their weapon? That thought goes through the minds of people,” he added.

The Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations, which represents many of Saskatchewan's First Nations, called on the RCMP to fire the officer and charge him, in a statement released on Monday. “This video, which we have, clearly shows the racist and ignorant actions of this RCMP member in Pelican Narrows and reaffirms that racism still exists within the force,” according to the statement.

Debra Georges, who posted the 10-second video of the officer threatening the man, who she says is her nephew, declined an interview request and said the family is seeking legal counsel.

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The second video, which is one minute long and was also posted on Facebook, shows the officer shouting and swearing with his weapon drawn while a different man is kneeling with his hands behind his head.

“The video recordings of the arrests are very short and only capture a few seconds of the exchanges between the persons being arrested and the police officer,” the Saskatchewan RCMP said in a statement. “The RCMP takes these matters seriously.”

An investigation will look into the factors around the arrests, as well as the police tactics and actions taken by the officer. Chief Beatty said the RCMP has promised to keep the community updated with the continuing investigation and share their findings.