A 34-year-old man from Kingsclear First Nation, N.B., has been charged with attempted murder after an RCMP member and seven police vehicles were struck by bullets.
Members of the Keswick RCMP detachment were called to a residence on Tomahawk Avenue on Tuesday just after 12:30 p.m.
“The man threatened police before barricading himself inside of the residence with a weapon,” RCMP wrote in a release.
Police say they located the suspect, who was known to police, outside the residence.
Several units arrived at the scene, including the RCMP’s Emergency Response Team (ERT), Police Dog Services, the Crisis Negotiation Team and the Explosive Disposal Unit. As well, the Fredericton Police Force’s ERT and local firefighters responded.
“The situation escalated a short time later when the man began firing dozens of gunshots at police through the windows of the residence,” RCMP said.
According to the RCMP, police did not return fire during the incident.
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Seven RCMP vehicles, including the tactical armoured vehicle, were struck and “sustained significant damages.”
A member of the RCMP ERT was struck in the head by a bullet, but was wearing a ballistic helmet and did not have serious injuries, said police.
“Crisis negotiators attempted to negotiate with the man, but he refused to surrender. Police deployed CS gas (tear gas) into the residence,” forcing the suspect and a second individual — a 50-year-old woman — to exit, RCMP wrote.
Both individuals were arrested. The woman was later released from custody.
Michael Sabattis is charged with attempted murder, discharge of a weapon with intent, aggravated assault, assault and uttering threats.
Sabattis appeared in Fredericton Provincial Court on Wednesday.
RCMP note that while residents in the community were advised to shelter in place during the incident, it did not meet the criteria for an Alert Ready message.
On social media, a message from Chief Gabby Atwin and Kingsclear First Nation Council said they were “absolutely devastated” after the incident.
“We collectively grieve with the community, as we all navigated something deeply traumatic together,” the statement read.
The post went on to say that while they hope nothing like this happens again, community members are reminded to take such situations seriously. They thanked police for their response, commended school staff for responding quickly to protect children, and encouraged people to seek support after the incident.
“Every event has lessons to take away. We have taken a critical look at our response and how we can improve our operating procedures and communication protocols going forward,” the statement went on to read.
“There is always room for improvement and we are committed to working together to ensure the safety of the community.”
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