They were friends and constables who died protecting the public.
Ten years ago on July 7, 2006, Marc Bourdages and Robin Cameron were shot on the outskirts of Spiritwood, Sask., and would later die two hours apart from one another from their injuries.
The tragic event shattered the nation and will be forever etched in the memories of many.
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A man already known to police fled the scene of an assault in the small town and a police pursuit ensued.
The chase that would end 12 kilometres east of Spiritwood, on a dirt road south of Mildred, when Curtis Dagenais opened fire on three RCMP members, two of whom were Bourdages and Cameron.
“Frankly, I kinda knew something was up because typically we would have had a conversation and I hadn’t heard from him all evening, I heard the sirens so I just figured he was busy,” said Natasha Szpakowski, Marc’s wife who was home with their nine-month-old son at the time.
“Then I guess I got that cliché, the knock at the door with the uniforms later that evening.”
Robin Cameron’s family says she called them before it all took place and had spent the night before in Saskatoon with them, she gave them a hug and a kiss before leaving her 11-year-old daughter in their care so she could head to her night shift.
“We got the call later on that evening, that night actually that her and her partner had been shot,” said Leroy Laliberte, Cameron’s brother-in-law.
“To give that news to her 11-year-old daughter that was a really difficult, something I’ll never forget.”
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Staff Sgt. Barry Thomas was working in the nearby town of Shellbrook that night when they received a call for back-up. He was one of the first officers to find the two constables at the scene.
“It’s something I never want to experience again in my life and hopefully I don’t.”
Bourdages and Cameron were rushed to hospital and as they fought for their lives, a massive manhunt got underway.
RCMP marshalled as many resources as possible from across the country to assist in looking for Dagenais who was now on the run. At its peak, 250 officers searched the area — some eight by 10 kilometre area — for any sign of the fugitive.
“Our officers have literally been looking for broken twigs, impressions in the grass, depressions in the grass, footprints, discarded items of clothing anything that would stick out as usual in that area,” said Sgt. Brian Jones.
“We are confident, we will successfully conclude this investigation. I just can’t tell you when,” said Supt. Rob Nason.
On July 16, the families of the two constables would address the media — the country was officially in mourning after both Bourdages and Cameron passed away during the night.
“It’s with immense sadness that I want to confirm for you what was earlier reported and that’s the deaths of the two members of the RCMP,” said Darrel McFadyen, assistant commissioner with the RCMP.
Still, officers had no time to grieve — they were now searching for a killer.
On July 18, 2006, after 11 days on the run, Dagenais would surrender to police after being found in a farmer’s field.
“He turned himself in to the RCMP detachment in spiritwood and was taken into custody without incident,” said Supt. Rob Nason.
Sgt. Brian Kelly, who assisted in the manhunt, said the news came as a surprise and was honestly surreal to hear.
“I remember almost kinda a disbelieve that that’s how everything ended cause at the time I think we were on cots in the high school,”
“I remember waking up and almost not believing that it was true.”
In 2009, Dagenais was found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder. He is not eligible for parole until 2031.
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