JONQUIERE, QUE. – A man believed to be in possession of a homemade explosive device who barricaded himself inside his home Friday evening, was shot by police after a tense 16-hour standoff.
The critically injured man was rushed to hospital where he later died of his injuries.
The Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes du Québec (BEI) confirmed the news in a tweet late Saturday afternoon.
The situation began to unfold Friday evening following a robbery at around 8 p.m. in a pharmacy on St-Hubert Street in Jonquière, roughly 200 kilometres north of Quebec City.
The suspect, whom police say was possibly armed, fled the scene but witnesses were able to give local police a description of the man and his vehicle.
Officers were then able to locate the 27-year-old man at his home on St-Germain Street.
After failed attempts at contacting the man, Saguenay police tried to force their way into the home.
According to a Sûreté du Quebec (SQ) spokesperson, that’s when officers saw him with what appeared to be a homemade explosive device.
A safety perimeter was erected around the residence and five or six of the neighbouring buildings were evacuated as a safety precaution.
The SQ was called in to assist and take charge of the situation.
A tactical squad and explosives experts were at the scene, as police renewed attempts to contact the man.
Those attempts were unsuccessful.
SQ spokesperson Jean Tremblay told Global News that the man had very powerful medication in his possession and fearing he might cause self-harm, officers made the decision to break into the home using a bulldozer.
The man emerged from the residence with what police described as a possible explosive device and refused to listen to orders.
That’s when officers opened fire to neutralize the suspect.
He was rushed to hospital in critical condition in Jonquière and was later transferred to Chicoutimi, where he died of his injuries.
Police said the man was known to police but would not release further details.
The BEI has now taken over the investigation and a team of eight investigators was dispatched to Jonquière.