Fourteen-year-old Chase Althouse is dead after being reportedly shot during a dispute in Candle Lake, Sask.
The family of Althouse said they are feeling broken from the sudden loss. He just started 10th grade and was excited to be back at school with his friends.
“Chase was hard not to love. He was just a genuinely good kid and had a huge future,” Althouse’s aunt Ashley Armstrong said.
“He had the softest heart for animals. I’ve never seen an animal ever not want to be around him. He was just that kind of person.”
RCMP said the alleged shooter is also dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Police said they were initially called to a home on Industrial Drive at around 10 p.m. Saturday for a report of a shooting.
According to the initial police investigation, a 49-year-old man armed with a gun was assaulting a woman when others in the home intervened.
The 14-year-old boy was shot during the incident, police said. His name has not been released by police.
Police said the suspect fled from the home after he was disarmed by another man.
The remaining people in the house suffered minor injuries during the altercation and were taken to a safe location, police said.
The suspect was tracked to a home on Steen Place.
He was found dead inside the home at around 6 a.m. on Sunday from an apparent gunshot wound, which police said appeared to be self-inflicted. Police have not released his name.
RCMP said autopsies are scheduled for Monday.
Armstrong created a GoFundMe page to cover funeral expenses for the family. If enough money is raised, she also hopes to buy a child a video game console, as a way to celebrate Althouse’s caring nature and love of video games.
She said the family is grateful for everyone’s support but asks for privacy moving forward.
Candle Lake is roughly 220 km northeast of Saskatoon.