OPP investigating attempted murder of officers during arrest of Manitoba man near Belleville, Ont.
An R.M. of St. Clements man arrested Friday in Ontario on a Canada-wide warrant is expected in a Manitoba court later this week on firearms-related charges.
Eric Wildman, 34, was wanted by RCMP in connection with the investigation into the homicide of his neighbour Clifford Joseph.
While he has not been charged in that case, police in Ontario announced they are investigating the attempted murder of officers during Wildman’s arrest.
It was on Massassauga Road in picturesque Prince Edward County in Ontario, where the search for Wildman ended with shots fired from inside a home after tips from the public led officers to the residence.
A resident of the area, located just outside Belleville, who spoke to CTV News but asked not to be identified said they were awoken by police at their door around 3 a.m. Friday and advised to turn off their lights and take cover in their basement.
Police said when they executed a warrant to enter the home where Wildman was believed to be located, a standoff ensued.
“Upon entry to the residence officers were met with gunfire from within the residence,” Det. Insp Brad Collins of the OPP’s criminal investigation branch said in a video posted to Twitter.
The OPP said just after 6 a.m., two men exited the home. One man was questioned and released. Wildman was taken into custody and transported back to Manitoba.
The investigation into the shots fired from the home is being handled by the OPP.
“The OPP criminal investigation branch under the direction of the major case manager, myself, are now investigating the attempted murder on OPP officers,” Collins said.
The RCMP said the man who exited the home with Wildman in Ontario has been identified but his name hasn’t been released and neither has his exact relationship with Wildman.
Investigators previously described the person as “an associate” of Wildman’s and said the indication is Wildman was specifically headed to the home where he was taken into custody.
Wildman has been charged in Manitoba with unsafe storage of a firearm and possession of a prohibited device after police found guns and police-related clothing and equipment in his vehicle in Winnipeg.
He has also been charged with two counts of failing to report the destruction of a prohibited firearm in relation to a search of his property south of Stead, Man.
The charges against Wildman were briefly addressed in Manitoba provincial court Monday. The matter has been adjourned until Wednesday morning.
Wildman had been the focus of a weeklong search in Manitoba. The vehicle he was believed to be driving was last spotted heading towards the Whiteshell and the Manitoba/Ontario border Wednesday night before his arrest 2,000 kilometres away early Friday.
The RCMP said he remains a suspect in the disappearance of Joseph but Joseph is still missing and Wildman hasn’t been charged in the case.
“I can tell you we’re still investigating it,” Supt. Michael Koppang, officer in charge of Manitoba Major Crime Services, said on Friday. “We’re investigating it like a homicide. I’m not going to be able to get into any of the specific information.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.