Attempted murder charge after officer struck by gunfire

A charge of attempted murder has been laid against a 27-year-old man after a Saskatchewan RCMP officer was shot during a traffic stop southwest of Meadow Lake.

Justin Davis Yakimchuk is also charged with dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, flight from a peace officer, obstructing a peace officer, unauthorized possession of a firearm in a motor vehicle, possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000, two counts of possession of a prohibited of restricted firearm with ammunition, two counts of possession of a scheduled substance for the purpose of trafficking and three counts of possession of a firearm or ammunition contrary to a prohibition order.

According to RCMP on Wednesday, Yakimchuk was unlawfully at large for breach of conditions on Sept. 24, the day of the officer-involved shooting.

The incident began just after 7:30 a.m. on Sept. 24, when officers at the Loon Lake RCMP detachment received reports of a possible impaired driver who was driving at high speeds, Mark Fisher, the Saskatchewan RCMP commanding officer, said last month.

The vehicle was spotted again over the following three hours in the Loon Lake, Meadow Lake, Glaslyn, St. Walberg and Mervin areas.

Fisher said officers successfully stopped the vehicle around 10:30 a.m. outside the village of Mervin, approximately 135 kilometres southwest of Meadow Lake.

As RCMP approached the vehicle, one officer sustained a serious but non-life threatening gunshot wound.

Fisher said the suspect was the only person in the vehicle at the time.

RCMP officers then discharged their firearms.

According to police on Wednesday, the “officer who was shot during this incident has been medically treated and is recovering in stable condition.”

The suspect was arrested at the scene and taken to hospital with what were believed to be non-life-threatening injuries.

“These are incidents that stick in your mind whenever they happen, wherever they happen,” Fisher said last month.

Yakimchuk was arrested on Tuesday in the Saskatchewan Penitentiary in Prince Albert. He was scheduled to appear Wednesday in Prince Albert provincial court on the charges in connection with the shooting.

RCMP asked the Regina Police Service to conduct an independent external investigation into the circumstances of the incident. An independent observer was also appointed by the province’s Ministry of Justice.