St. Paul/Whitefish Lake RCMP Respond to Armed & Barricaded Male

During the early afternoon of April 18, 2016 Whitefish (Goodfish) Lake RCMP, with assistance from St. Paul/Saddle Lake and Two Hills Detachments as well as St. Paul Traffic Services responded to a 911 call of domestic altercation. Information obtained revealed the suspect was reportedly in possession of a loaded firearm, claimed he was “ready for the police” if they came, and had multiple firearms in the residence. Officers were able to quickly locate the victim and bring her and her child to a safe location, while other officers evacuated the surrounding buildings near the Whitefish (Goodfish) Lake First Nation town site, including the health care centre, day care centre, Band Office, Fire Hall, as well as several residences.

The area was contained and an RCMP Emergency Response Team from Edmonton attended. With the assistance of a crisis negotiator, the suspect surrendered peacefully shortly after 6:00 p.m. Five firearms and a substantial amount of ammunition was seized from the residence.

Charges have been laid against a 37 year old man from Whitefish (Goodfish) Lake First Nation, including assault and obstructing a peace officer. The accused is currently in custody; his first court appearance was scheduled for April 21, 2016 in St. Paul Provincial Court.

During the event, two additional individuals were arrested after repeated attempts to enter the security perimeter and by-pass police road blocks.These actions not only place the individuals at risk, but also the safety of the police officers. The RCMP cannot stress enough how imperative it is that these perimeters are respected by pedestrians and vehicular traffic. Failure to comply with a police officer’s directions in a high risk situation can result in arrest and prosecution for obstruction.

This marks the third armed and barricaded event for the St. Paul detachment since the beginning of 2016. All have been resolved successfully without injury to the public or officers.

*Press Release from the St. Paul RCMP