The brother of a manslaughter suspect says that Saskatoon's 13th homicide was triggered by a pair of stolen eyeglasses.

Mohamad Al-Zawahreh is charged with manslaughter along with Darrell Dustyhorn, Destin Mosquito and Devin Wesaquate. All four men appeared by video in Saskatoon provincial court Monday.

They return to court on Wednesday.

Police were called after 5 a.m. CST Saturday to a home on the 100 block of Howell Avenue. They found a 31-year-old man and took him to hospital, where he later died.

Yousef Al-Zawahreh came to court with his mother on Monday. He spoke with the Crown about concerns over his younger brother's safety at the Saskatoon jail. Specifically, how he may be in danger because of gangs at the correctional facility.

Outside court, he related to CBC the details of his phone conversation with his brother after his arrest.

Yousef said that Mohamad had been at a party at the house on Howell Avenue. He says that someone stole his brother's prescription eyeglasses.

Mohamad left and then returned with three friends, Yousef said. There was a confrontation and a fight.

"While he was fighting the gentleman, behind him the people that were in the car had an altercation of their own and one guy shot the other guy," Yousef said.

"It doesn't make sense to me. Those guys decided to do what they did. If he went there to grab his glasses and those guys decided to shoot each other or whatever happened, that's on them."

Police 'stretched to the limit'

There have now been 13 homicides in Saskatoon in 2019. That ties the record set in 2018.

There were at least two other violent incidents on the weekend. In one, a woman was hospitalized after someone fired shots at a vehicle in broad daylight.

In a separate incident, a man was left in critical condition after an assault in front of St. Paul's Hospital.

Police do not believe the incidents are connected.

Police spokesperson Alyson Edwards said the force's resources have been taxed for a while.

"We are incredibly busy. We are stretched to the limit most weekends in Saskatoon and that has been the case for the last few months," she said.

Edwards said the city's growing population, the recent economic boom and the resulting growth of the drug trade are all factors in the increased violence.