One of two Mounties shot at a casino outside Edmonton on Saturday is not expected to survive, the RCMP said.
Const. David Matthew Wynn, who was shot in the head at close range, has yet to regain consciousness, police said at a news conference Sunday.
"He sustained a life-threatening injury to the head we do not expect him to survive," said Deputy Commissioner Marianne Ryan, who is the commanding officer of RCMP Alberta.
“It is not optimistic … We are praying for him. That's all we can do," she said.
Wynn, a 42-year-old married father of three, remains in hospital in Edmonton. Police would not comment on the treatment that he is receiving.
RCMP also announced that Auxiliary Const. Derek Walter Bond, 49, sustained a gunshot wound to the right arm and torso and is receiving medical care at home. Although he was released from hospital, his injuries are considered serious.
"I want to emphasize this is not a case of an officer merely being grazed," said Ryan. "The bullet narrowly missed vital organs and could have inflicted much more serious injuries.”
Wynn joined the RCMP in 2009, while Bond has served in a volunteer capacity since 2008.
Wynn previously worked as paramedic in Bridgewater, N.S. for more than 10 years.
Wynn and Bond were investigating a report of a stolen vehicle when they were shot inside a casino in St. Albert, Alta. early Saturday morning. They did not return fire, police said.
The suspect, Shawn Maxwell Rehn, 34, was later found dead inside an empty home following a tense manhunt around a nearby golf course.
An autopsy to determine his cause of death will take place on Monday.
Suspect well known to police
RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson told reporters Sunday that Rehn was known to police for his "incredibly complex criminal history."
"I can describe a veritable labyrinth of charges he was facing, of recognizances he was under, of overlapping firearm prohibitions -- just a series of conditions that aren’t making sense to me as I review it, and I've been in policing for 30 years," he said.
"I have not seen anything the likes of what I've seen here," he added.
Paulson said there will be in-depth analysis on how and why Rehn was free.
"I think (it) will require the RCMP, and other stakeholders in the criminal justice system, to examine very closely as to how it is that this person is walking amongst us," he said.
Paulson added that Rehn had a history of firearm offences and was free on conditions that didn't allow him to possess ammunition or firearms.
However, the RCMP insist that the police response to the stolen vehicle call on Saturday was properly handled.
"Not every individual we deal with is going to be armed to the teeth and trying to kill our members," said assistant commissioner Marlin Degrand.
"We are still part of the community and community still enjoys the support of the RCMP."
Paulson echoed Degrand’s comments.
"Frankly this not an issue of a tactical response gone bad," he said.
"Walking into a public place, like a casino, where other people are around, and simply advancing the investigation … There was no way we could expect that these officers would know the kind of threat that was walking around that casino," he added.
Degrand said the officers’ confrontation with Rehn, who was armed with a handgun, was "short and sharp."
"They were trying to place hands on the individual, he pulled away and two shots were fired," he said. "It was very brief."
Paulson said that Rehn was not known to the officers and the vehicle was not linked to the suspect at the time.
Degrand said on Saturday that Bond would not have been carrying a handgun at the time of the shooting because auxiliary constables are not equipped with firearms.
