By Shaun Penner

ASIRT Investigating

Suspect dead following incident at Winagami Provincial Park

Jun 18, 2021 | 7:40 PM

Alberta RCMP say the suspect sought in a manhunt at Winagami Lake Provincial Park has died and the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team has been called in to investigate following the exchange of gun fire.

Chief Supt. Kevin Kunetzki, Deputy Criminal Operations Officer for the Alberta RCMP, told a news conference Friday evening that 29-year-old Lionel Ernest Grey of Gift Lake Metis Settlement died shortly after being taken into custody at around noon Friday.

RCMP say Grey had sustained serious injuries prior to his apprehension, though they did not clarify what those injuries were.

They say Alberta RCMP Tactical Medics and Alberta Health Services Emergency Medical Services immediately provided medical assistance. Grey, though, succumbed to his injuries a short time later.

Grey had been the subject of a manhunt that began at around 11 a.m. Thursday, shortly after he fled from police northwest of High Prairie after officers from the McLennan detachment tried to conduct a traffic stop because Grey was wanted on several outstanding warrants for crimes against persons.

High Prairie RCMP then found Grey’s vehicle abandoned in Winagami Lake Provincial Park shortly afterwards, after it got stuck in the mud shortly after.

It was there High Prairie RCMP members and Police Service Dog Jago attempted to track down Grey after he fled on foot into a wooded area.

Shortly after, PSD Jago was killed in the line of duty trying to track the suspect.

RELATED: Police K9 killed during ongoing incident near Winagami Provincial Park

No other officers were hurt.

Kunetzki said PSD Jago, who had been at the High Prairie RCMP Detachment since the summer of 2020, was born in July 2016 and served a total of four years with the RCMP.

He served approximately 3 years with the Integrated Police Dog Service in the Lower Mainland, B.C. prior to coming to northwest Alberta with his handler, Cpl. Scott Macleod.

As when there are other instances of officer-involved shooting, ASIRT has now been called in to investigate the circumstances that led to the result of this incident.