Melville residents on edge after man shot to death

A motel on the outskirts of Melville wasn’t taking any new patrons Wednesday, but it was abuzz with activity.

The RCMP said in a release Wednesday afternoon that one man was dead and another man had suffered life-threatening injuries after a shooting at the Country Inn Motel.

The incident prompted the Mounties to issue a dangerous person alert Wednesday morning. The alert was cancelled at around 1:30 p.m.

Yellow police tape surrounded the motel and its parking lot around the front, with several RCMP trucks and officers in the area. People clad head to toe in white suits combed through the crime scene and, mid-afternoon, officers cordoned off the street out front.

Several vehicles were still in the parking lot, with a blinking “Open” sign in the window above them, but the activity was surrounding one vehicle in particular: A silver car that was covered in a yellowed tarp for the most part.

That vehicle was where the body of the man who was killed sat for much of the day until it was taken away.

Less than a block away from the motel is a residential neighbourhood, and people there were shocked at what happened. Some were worried that it happened so close.

“Because, I mean, after (the suspects) did it, they could have banged on my door,” said one woman.

A man with his dogs said he wasn’t too worried, but he also waited a few hours longer to walk the pups that day.

Tina Kennedy’s house is within shouting distance of the motel. On Wednesday morning, the police tape and RCMP vehicles could be easily seen from her front walk.

“It’s a shock. Melville’s not known for this. It was a shock this morning driving by there and seeing what I saw,” said Kennedy, speaking before the dangerous person alert was cancelled.

Her eyes welled up briefly as she talked about the proximity to her home where she had her three kids. One is two years old and another is young enough to be in pre-kindergarten.

“Her school went on lockdown; that’s scary for kids, not knowing why they can’t go anywhere (or why they) can’t phone their parents. I picked her up, we came home, locked the doors and we’ve been inside since,” said Kennedy.

Three schools in the area were put in “hold and secure” mode for a couple of hours in the morning.

Kennedy was making a point of keeping the kids indoors, saying they didn’t need to see what was happening.

The area is right near where Highway 10 intersects with Highway 47. Kennedy said living so close means she has to be vigilant.

“You never know who’s coming into town, leaving town, where they could be. I guess I’m always like that just because we live so close to the highway – and now I’ll really be on alert,” she finished with a small laugh.

The Mounties said the first reports of shots being fired came in at around 9:20 a.m., and police responded to the area immediately.

The dangerous person alert was issued just after 10:30 a.m., saying two suspects were on the loose. A truck believed to be involved in the incident had been found abandoned and burned near Duff.

A burned-out truck is removed by a tow truck from a ditch near Duff on Nov. 2, 2022. Police believe the truck may have been involved in an incident in Melville earlier in the day. (Lisa Schick/980 CJME)

The alert was cancelled just after 1:30 p.m., and while the suspects remained at large, the RCMP said the alert was cancelled because the situation didn’t present an imminent risk to the public.

As well, the Mounties’ release noted their investigation had determined the shooting wasn’t believed to be random in nature.

“As such, there is not a heightened risk to the general public at this time,” the release said. “Should that change, the Saskatchewan RCMP will notify the public immediately.”

The release noted police don’t have descriptions of the suspects, but asked people to be vigilant.

“What we really want the public to know is do not pick up hitchhikers and please be cautious if anyone is asking for a ride and report suspicious persons or activity immediately to police by calling 911,” RCMP spokesperson Mandy Maier said after the alert was first issued.

The release issued in the afternoon said there was to be an increased police presence in Melville and on roads in and around the community “as the investigation unfolds.”