[left]The RCMP officer was the senior constable of a new detachment
on the Waywayseecapo First Nations near Russell. His wife gave
birth to a baby girl last month.
"He was a 20-year veteran and he was family — a hard worker
and very, very professional," said Sgt. William (Sonny) Richards,
who heads the five-member all-aboriginal detachment.
After the shooting in Russell, the suspects fled into Saskatchewan.
The town of Russell is 340 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg and
about 15 kilometres from the Saskatchewan boundary.
RCMP officers were also shot at in Langenburg, Sask. in the early
morning hours of Friday morning but nobody was hit in that incident.
By Friday afternoon, RCMP from three provinces were scouring
Saskatchewan's Qu'Appelle Valley.
RCMP said they believed the suspects were carrying either rifles or
shotguns.
The suspects are believed to have stolen and then ditched as many
as five vehicles, including a grey 1996 Dodge truck in Esterhazy,
Sask. In that incident, the owner pursued the suspects in a second
vehicle, calling RCMP on a cellphone. The owner was shot at but
not hurt.
At one point, the suspects fled to a farmyard just north of
Langenburg, Sask. where they stole a pickup truck from a
farmyard.
Darcy Kendel said he was awakened about 2:30 a.m. by a vehicle
pulling into his yard. Moments later, he heard a shot and his wife
spotted someone driving off in his truck.
Police had set up a nearby roadblock where Mr. Kendel went to
report the theft.
As he approached the roadblock he was met at gunpoint by officers
who ordered him from his vehicle and searched him for weapons
before he could explain.
Mr. Kendel said that after the search, he was told to go home and
lock the doors.