Special security measures in Montreal Lake after fatal shooting

Glenn Hicks, paNOW

Special security measures remained in place Sunday in Montreal Lake Cree Nation following a deadly shooting incident.

An RCMP tactical unit had been deployed and road blocks had been set up, according to the chief of the First Nations community.

The security measures followed the shooting death of a woman Saturday morning which Chief Frank Roberts said was believed to be gang-related.

RCMP issued a news release on Sunday afternoon that said police had encountered the suspect vehicle on Hwy. 2, near Christopher Lake, on Saturday.

There was a brief police pursuit before two people in the car pulled over, got out and ran away.

Police searched the vehicle and found a woman suffering from an apparent gunshot wound.

She was pronounced dead at the scene.

She has since been identified as 25-year-old Trina Bird.

Two men were later arrested, but charges had not been laid as of Sunday afternoon.

Police said while the RCMP had brought in a special unit to go door-to-door, Montreal Lake Cree Nation also initiated security protocols.

“We have different inter-agency areas and a plan has been initiated to make the community feel safe,” Chief Roberts told paNOW. “We have beefed up our security personnel and set up road blocks in the community as well.” Roberts said the road blocks were in part to help make sure certain people could not get back into the community.

“We’ve worked with the RCMP to find the people that may be connected to what happened in the community, so they’ve been going door-to-door looking for people of interest,” he said.

Roberts said the incident involving many police vehicles just north of Prince Albert Saturday was connected with the fatal shooting of a woman at Montreal Lake earlier.

“The shooting death of the young lady did happen in our community here and we do believe it is gang-related,” he said. Roberts said the RCMP had notified him of the identity of the deceased and her family had been informed.

In a Facebook post Saturday night the Community Safety Team of the Montreal Lake Cree Nation Inter Agency confirmed RCMP had been going door-to-door seeking information and said, ” MLCN members are urged to cooperate. Security has been increased for safety reasons. Please make sure your children are safe.”

RCMP did not respond Saturday or Sunday to requests from paNOW for information related to the incidents.