The suspect wanted in connection with an incident involving an RCMP officer being shot in the arm along Highway 1 near Golden B.C. on Tuesday has been found dead.
RCMP confirmed they located the suspect, Sheldon Kyle Thunderblanket on Wednesday. Later that afternoon, police confirmed Thunderblanket was deceased.
“We delayed on confirming this information in order to ensure that next of kin notifications had been completed, as well as notifications to all the partner agencies who have a connection or interest in this case,” said Cpl. Dan Moskaluk.
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The Independent Investigations Office of BC (IIO) will now investigate whether there was a connection between the suspect’s death and the actions of police. The exact cause of death is not yet known and is being investigated by the BC Coroner Service.
The RCMP officer allegedly shot by Thunderblanket has been confirmed as RCMP Cst. Amber Brunner.
The officer is expected to recover and her injuries are not considered to be life-threatening. In a Facebook statement, the City of Revelstoke said the officer had reconstructive surgery done on her hand and arm Tuesday night and is currently recovering.
Thunderblanket had been considered armed and dangerous and was wanted in connection with a recent homicide in Saskatchewan.
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This incident began when police were conducting a check stop on Highway 1 on Tuesday afternoon in connection with a possible theft. The driver of a stopped vehicle failed to comply with police direction and stole another nearby vehicle.
Witness Greg Jeannotte told Global News he heard two gunshots and then “police officer down, police officer down.” He said the suspect then carjacked a vehicle from an older couple and drove off westbound.
Officers closed Highway 1 between Revelstoke and Golden for about eight hours while they searched vehicles.
BC RCMP Cpl. Dan Moskaluk told NewsTalk 770 in an interview they had to re-route traffic to protect the crime scene.
“We cannot have vehicles driving through, physically over and through a scene we’re trying to protect and possibly destroy very important physical evidence that if you had somebody driving through it that could destroy it,” Moskaluk said.
Police found the stolen vehicle connected with Thunderblanket just outside Revelstoke Tuesday night.
Revelstoke Mayor Mark McKee couldn’t offer any additional details on Thunderblanket’s apprehension but did say this incident has really opened the eyes of residents in the community regarding safety and security.
“We all think that we all live in this clean, safe environment and we do. But I think we all have to be vigilant and watch our neighbourhoods and protect our own environments,” McKee said.