SUMMERSIDE – A 32-year-old Summerside man is dead after he used “violence” in resisting police officers attempts to take him in to custody on Sunday morning. He later died around 1 p.m. due to his injuries.
Police were attempting to arrest the man at approximately 5:10 a.m. after a break-and-enter at a Water Street motel that resulted in a victim being stabbed.
Just before 12:30 a.m., the Summerside Police Service received a 911 call from a female occupant of the motel reporting that four men had just “forced their way into her room and robbed her and her boyfriend.” The female said she had been stabbed during the encounter but was not seriously injured.
Suspects had fled in a vehicle before police arrived at the scene, but the victims were able to identify three of the men involved.
“It wasn’t a random incident. All of the suspects and the victims were known to each other,” said Corporal Jason Blacquiere of the Summerside Police Service.
Shortly after 4 a.m., police found the suspect’s vehicle at a Duke Street residence. Two of the suspects exited the building while officers were conducting surveillance.
Police approached the pair and took one of them into custody “without incident.”
The second suspect fled back into the residence and was pursued by police.
Police said, in a press release, “Once inside the residence, the suspect used violence in resisting the officer’s attempts to take him into custody. During the encounter, two officers discharged their service pistols, injuring the suspect.”
First-aid was administered to the suspect, before being transported to Prince County Hospital for treatment.
He died around 1:00 p.m. as a result of his injuries.
The man, who has been identified through his sister, was Jeremy Stephens. A GoFundMe page has been organized in support of funeral arrangements.
At the time of the incidents, there was a planned city-wide power outage set to run between 1 and 6 a.m., but it isn’t believed to have had part in the incident.
Police are searching for the two remaining suspects.
The Nova Scotia Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT) will conduct an investigation into the shooting.
The P.E.I. RCMP “L” Division Major Crime Unit and Forensic Identification Section are both being brought in to assist with the investigation.
Felix Cacchione, the director of SIRT, says the group was called in by Summerside police to investigate the incident and could not comment further at this time.
The team acts as an overseer and is called to look into serious incidents involving police in Nova Scotia and other Atlantic provinces. They are expected to arrive on the Island Monday.
“When a serious incident like this occurs, it’s part of police mandates that an investigation is conducted,” Blacquiere explained.
When asked about specifics, Blacquiere declined to comment because of the matter is still under investigation.
To make a donation on the GoFundMe page go to https://www.gofundme.com/zavr2t-500000.
