An RCMP officer is dead and two people are in custody after a collision in southern Saskatchewan Saturday, RCMP say.
Police had earlier reported the collision, and the mayor of Wolseley, Sask., confirmed there was a fatality. RCMP later confirmed the death of on-duty officer Shelby Patton.
The town is in “utter shock and disbelief,” said Wolseley Mayor Gerald Hill.
“This kind of thing does not happen here.”
While the mayor did not know any details or the name of the officer, Hill said the community has a good relationship with RCMP officers in the area.
“It’s like losing your next door neighbours, losing a buddy,” Hill said.
“We extend our deepest sympathies to [the family].”
The Shock Trauma Air Rescue Service (STARS) had tweeted Saturday morning about an emergency call to the Wolseley area. The helicopter was about to launch from Regina when they received the news that they weren’t medically required, according to a STARS spokesperson.
STAR-9 (Regina) has been dispatched for a scene call emergency in the Wolseley, SK area.
RCMP said they will provide an update about the incident, as well as the investigation, at 5 p.m. CT Saturday.
In a news release earlier Saturday, RCMP said two people were taken into custody in connection with the crash before 10 a.m. CT.
They also said they were investigating in the southeastern Saskatchewan areas of Wolseley and Francis.
The increased police presence in the area was unusual for the town of Wolseley, said councillor Tim Taylor, which speaks for the seriousness of the situation.
“Normally we might see one police vehicle in the community coming and going or spending some time here,” he said.
“This is way out of the ordinary.”
Taylor said the downtown and surrounding area of Wolseley was cordoned off for the investigation.
Wolseley is about 95 kilometres east of Regina.