Saskatoon police arrest 2nd suspect in homicide of Matthew Brabant
Lawrence Opikowew, 26, is charged with first-degree murder
Police have arrested Lawrence Opikowew and charged him with first-degree murder in the shooting death of 20-year-old Mathew Brabant in a Saskatoon motel.
Brabant was found with a gunshot wound in a motel room in the 2000 block of Avenue B North at around 5 a.m. CST on May 17, 2025. He was taken to hospital, where he died of his injuries.
At the time, a 27-year-old man was arrested and charged with murder, but Opikowew, who was wanted in connection to the shooting, remained at large with police telling the public he was armed and dangerous.
According to a Monday release from the Saskatoon Police Service, the outstanding suspect — who was named as Opikowew — was arrested on Saturday.
Brabant's death is Saskatoon's third homicide of the year.
Brabant's sister Allison Forsberg said she wanted people to know that her brother was more than just another headline.
"He was a whole person. A brother. A son. A father. Someone who carried softness, humour, and insight. It's not just about the potential of who he could have become, but the future he was already shaping for himself, one that family and friends could see in his actions and presence."
Forsberg described her brother as calm and thoughtful, and someone with integrity in the middle of chaos.