Man accused of killing RCMP constable to stand trial on murder charge

The man accused of killing RCMP Const. Shelby Patton during a traffic stop in Wolseley last summer has been ordered to stand trial on a charge of first-degree murder.

After a three-day hearing at Regina Provincial Court, Judge Douglas Kovatch ruled there’s enough evidence to proceed with a trial on the murder charge against Alphonse Stanley Traverse of Winnipeg.

Traverse initially was charged with manslaughter in the June 12, 2021 death of Patton, but the charge was upgraded in November to first-degree murder.

Due to a publication ban, evidence at the preliminary hearing can’t be published.

The RCMP has said Patton — who was stationed at the Indian Head detachment — was killed while responding to a complaint of a truck that had been stolen in Manitoba.

Patton had pulled the vehicle over before he was struck and killed as the truck drove off. The truck was later located in a rural area northeast of Francis after it fled the scene.

Two people subsequently were arrested.

— With files from The Canadian Press