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A man wanted by police in connection with a string of armed robberies in Yorkton, Melfort and Wadena died during a chase with Saskatchewan RCMP officers on Tuesday, but details about how he died remain unclear.
According to the Saskatchewan RCMP, police were notified that 34-year-old Joseph “Joey” Desjarlais was in the Fishing Lake First Nation area on Tuesday, and officers were searching the area when they spotted a van going at high speed at around 1 p.m. Police tried to stop the van, the RCMP said, but the driver sped off.
“Soon after, Saskatchewan RCMP received a report the wanted male stole a van from a school on Fishing Lake First Nation. Investigation determined it was the van that fled from the officers. The male was reported to be armed,” the RCMP said.
Police followed the van on rural roads until the driver turned into a field at around 1:45 p.m., the Mounties said.
“Firearms were discharged and the van continued travelling,” the RCMP said in a statement.
“The van came to a stop and additional shots were discharged. The sole occupant was located inside, injured. He was declared deceased by EMS at the scene.”
Police did not say who fired the shots.
A Saskatchewan RCMP spokesperson would not say if the shots were fired by police. The spokesperson said the RCMP was not authorized to release any further information on the incident, including who fired the shots, due to an external investigation into the incident by the Saskatchewan Serious Incident Response Team.
A spokesperson for the Saskatchewan Ministry of Justice, which oversees the Serious Incident Response Team, said the team will issue a news release with details of the investigation at a later date.
The deceased man was identified as Desjarlais, the RCMP said, and his family has been notified of his death.