Man dies after police shooting

Summerside police shot 32-year-old man after responding to break-and-enter

A 32-year-old Summerside man died Sunday afternoon after being shot by police earlier that morning.

Summerside police issued a statement saying the man succumbed to injuries sustained after he became violent during an attempt to take him into custody.

The man has been identified to the Journal Pioneer through his sister as Jeremy Stephens. A GoFundMe page has been organized in support of funeral arrangements.

Police had received a 911 call just before 12:30 a.m. Sunday from a female occupant of a Water Street motel reporting that four men had forced their way into her room.

The woman said the men had robbed her and her boyfriend and that she was stabbed during the encounter.

Police responded to the call but the suspects fled in a vehicle before officers arrived.

Police said the victims were able to identify three of the suspects.

Summerside police Cpl. Jason Blacquiere confirmed to the Journal Pioneer that the suspects and victims of the breakand-enter were known to each other.

“It wasn’t a random incident,” he said.

Shortly after 4 a.m., police located one of the suspect’s vehicles at a Duke Street residence.

Officers then conducted surveillance on the residence with two of the suspects exiting the home around 5:10 a.m.

Police approached the pair and took one of them into custody without incident.

The second suspect, the 32-year-old Summerside man, fled back into the residence and was then pursued by police. Police said once inside the residence, the suspect used violence to resist the arrest.

During the encounter, two officers discharged their service pistols and injured the suspect.

Police said they immediately gave first-aid to the suspect and transported him to Prince County Hospital for treatment.

The man died at approximately 1 p.m. Sunday.

Police said they are actively searching for the two remaining suspects and noted the female 911 caller was not seriously injured during the robbery.

The Nova Scotia Serious Incident Response Team is investigating the matter. The team acts as an overseer and is called to look into serious incidents involving police in Nova Scotia and other Atlantic provinces.

Felix Cacchione, the director of SIRT, says he could not scomment further at this time.

The RCMP “L” Division (Prince Edward Island) Major Crime Unit and Forensic Identification Section are also involved in the investigation.

DESIREE ANSTEY/JOURNAL PIONEER A police officer waits outside a Duke Street residence in Summerside that was taped off Sunday following the police shooting of a break-and-enter suspect. The suspect, a 32-year-old Summerside man, later died from the injuries sustained in the shooting.

DESIREE ANSTEY/JOURNAL PIONEER The Summerside Police Services’ forensic identification van was outside a Duke Street residence throughout Sunday following the fatal shooting of a break-and-enter suspect by police.