Person of interest sought in Alberta RCMP shooting
CTVNews.ca Staff
08 Feb 2012, 6:09 PM ET
Police are asking the public for help in locating a 27-year-old man considered to be a person of interest in the shooting of two Mounties on a rural Alberta property.
The RCMP have described Sawyer Clarke Robison as a "high risk" individual who could be armed with long-barrelled weapons and should be considered dangerous.
He was seen leaving a residence in Killam, about 160 kilometres southeast of Edmonton, where the two Mounties were shot on Tuesday afternoon.
The Mounties were wounded in an exchange of gunfire while trying to execute a search warrant for an illegal .45-calibre handgun.
Robinson is 6-foot-2 and about 200 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. Police say he may be driving a 2000 Chevrolet Silverado with the Alberta licence plate number UZE 545.
Members of the public have been asked not to approach him. Instead, potential witnesses are encouraged to call an RCMP tip line at 1-780-385-3502.
However, police tried to reassure the nervous rural community that Robison isn't considered a danger to the public.
Still, RCMP spokesperson Sgt. Patrick Webb said police are hoping Robison will approach authorities on his own accord.
"It would be in Robison's best interests to call the nearest RCMP Detachment as soon as possible," he said in a release issued Wednesday.
According to the RCMP, at least one "civilian" died during Tuesday's shootout.
The injured constables, Sheldon Shah and Sidney Gaudette, are expected to fully recover from their wounds. One is a five-year veteran, the other has been on the job for two years.
Several weapons were recovered at the home after officers surrounded it overnight Tuesday.
"Once we knew who the people involved were, and once we knew there was some very significant weapons involved, we had to be extremely careful that we weren't walking into a situation that would put more members at risk," Webb told The Canadian Press.
In an interview with CTV News Wednesday morning, Webb said that both of the Mounties are now recovering in hospital in Edmonton.
"They underwent surgery last night, that surgery was successful," he said, adding that both are now listed in stable condition.
