RCMP, community shocked by crash that killed Estevan officer

Estevan and the RCMP community at large are in shock after a member of that city’s RCMP detachment was killed in a singlevehicle crash Tuesday night.

The same crash injured a second Mountie from that detachment who, like the officer killed, was off-duty.

“It’s a hit,” RCMP spokesman Cpl. Rob King said. “It’s a definite hit. It’s a hit to the detachment, it’s a hit to the division — resources wise alone, let alone the emotional impact of losing a colleague.”

According to information released by the RCMP, Estevan Mounties responded at about 9:20 p.m. to the crash, which occurred approximately 1½ kilometres east of Lampman on Highway 361.

Upon arriving, officers found two of their colleagues injured. The 55-year-old male driver was pronounced dead at the scene, while a 27-year-old male passenger was taken to hospital for treatment.

King said next of kin have been notified, but RCMP isn’t releasing the names of the members involved at this time. There are others he said the RCMP wants to notify.

“It’s someone you know, it’s a friend, it’s someone you’ve worked with, so it’s no different than any other workplace,” King said.

He said the Estevan detachment, which polices the rural area surrounding the southern Saskatchewan city, consists of 15 members “at most” — adding to the impact of the loss.

King said the RCMP is giving members at that detachment a break to cope with the tragedy, moving in other members to fill in and take on the workload.

“People are being moved in there temporarily, so there’s no impact to policing the community or anything like that,” he said. “And it gives them a chance to have the support services put in place that they may need.”

RCMP reported the preliminary investigation revealed the car was travelling eastbound, left the road and rolled. Alcohol is not considered a factor.