Three charged in connection with Montreal Lake shooting

Charlene Tebbutt, paNOW

More information is being released following a fatal shooting in Montreal Lake over the weekend that left one woman dead and hospitalized a teenage boy.

RCMP confirm three men were charged in connection with the incident, which happened Saturday morning in Montreal Lake, and ended near Prince Albert following a police chase. Brandon Lee Corrigal and Wesley Eugene LaChance are facing charges including flight from police, possession of a firearm with ammunition, and possession of a firearm while prohibited. Jeremy Wade Charles is charged with possession of a prohibited weapon. Corrigal is also facing an additional charge of attempted break and enter.

All three men appeared in court in Prince Albert Monday and remain in custody. RCMP Cpl. Rob King said police continue to investigate.

“Right now, it would be premature to just kind of talk about where the investigation is and it’s going,” King said. “Investigations are fluid and you have to kind of follow the information as it comes to you.”

Trina Bird, 25, died over the weekend from a gunshot wound. Bird was found unresponsive inside a vehicle that was stopped by RCMP on Highway 2 near the turnoff to Christopher Lake and died at the scene. A 16-year-old boy also suffered a gunshot wound and was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

King said RCMP are working with officials from the Montreal Lake Cree Nation as the investigation continues. Special security measures were put into place Saturday and members with the RCMP and Saskatchewan Environment worked together to go door-to-door in the community to alert residents following the shooting.

King said those efforts have now ceased.

As the incident unfolded Saturday morning, members with the Prince Albert Police Service were also called to assist. Jon Bergen, acting chief with the Prince Albert Police Service, said Const. Kelsey Bighetty and Police Service Dog Daxa were called to the scene just outside the city and helped track the suspects.

“They notified us that they were responding and we ended up sending some marked cars to do containment,” Bergen told paNOW. “It fell under the authority and control of the RCMP who continued, but we gave assistance until the conclusion as well.”

RCMP say the home in Montreal Lake where the incident occurred, and the vehicle involved, are both being examined by members with the police forensic section. An autopsy is also being conducted to determine the exact cause of Bird’s death.