Winnipeg police are apologizing for a controversial photo that first responders made of a vulnerable man on a city bench. 

The photo shows Winnipeg officers and fire paramedics posing with an intoxicated man while an officer takes a photo.

Justin Highway and his girlfriend were passing by the scene and noticed a female police officer taking a picture of the man with responders. Highway posted a picture to social media. That photo quickly went viral and caused a large backlash online against police.

Constable Rob Carver spoke to media on Wednesday afternoon and confirmed that an officer did, in fact, take a picture.

"We apologize to this individual," Carver says. "We know the citizens of Winnipeg expect us to treat everyone with dignity and respect and they deserve nothing less."

Carver says that the officer who took the picture will face discipline according to the WPS regulatory process. 

Even Mayor Brian Bowman spoke out on the photo over the weekend. In a tweet he says, "If valid, it’s obviously unbecoming of what’s expected by our emergency responders."

The man was initially assessed for medical reasons by the paramedics while police attended to transport the man to a safe place.

Const. Rob Carver says the subject of the photo has been spoken to.