One suspect remains at large and three others are in custody after an RCMP officer responding to a break and enter Wednesday night around 9:30 p.m. near Onanole was shot and seriously injured.

RCMP are currently on scene in Neepawa and have a section of the community cordoned off between Mountain Avenue and 4th Avenue between Mill Street and Boundary Street as part of the investigation into the shooting.

Onanole resident Chris Bevan said the shooting occurred on his cousin’s property.

Bevan said his cousin, who doesn’t live in the area, received images on his phone through a live feed from a trail camera on his rural property showing a theft in progress at his cabin and RV east of Onanole.

He said his cousin called police but couldn’t immediately get through and asked Bevan at around 9 p.m. if he knew a better way to reach officers as the theft was “happening right now.”

“I said I really didn’t know how I could quicker than he could, but I said, ‘I’ll go out there and take a look.,’” said Bevan. 

As Bevan was driving to the property he said RCMP officers in two cruiser cars had beat him to the property. 

“My dad and I went out there and police passed us and they passed the driveway,” said Bevan. “We pulled up and the police passed the road and we directed them where to go and they went in and we held back and heard shots fired.

“Heard one and we backed up because we didn’t want to get jacked. I thought four (shots). Three for sure.”

Immediately after he heard what he described as shots fired, Bevan said he and his father went to alert other neighbours about what happened.

They returned to the property and saw ambulances and more police responding. 

He said nobody was staying at the property at the time of the theft. 

“After the shots were fired we knew that it was a little bit more than just a theft,” said Bevan. “It turns out it was a lot more than that.”

Bevan said he’s thinking about the RCMP officer, a 42-year-old man, who was shot and expressed gratitude to members who responded to the property.

“It was just a break and enter, they could’ve been, ‘we’ll get there,’ right, but they hustled,” said Bevan. “They got there and it turned out to be horrible. I feel horrible about that.

“I hope he’s alright and thanks man, like really, thank you.”

RCMP said some of the suspects were possibly travelling in a stolen black 2005 GMC Sierra extended cab pickup truck with Manitoba licence plate GBX 476 and some on foot. 

Officers said the truck has not been recovered. 

The RCMP say the suspect at large is considered armed and dangerous, and that a large police presence remains in the Onanole area.