Kitchener-Waterloo

Police believe deceased man was sole suspect in Helen Schaller shooting

The Waterloo Regional Police Service says it is not looking for other suspects in the fatal shooting of Helen Schaller of Cambridge.

Suspect and Schaller 'involved in an altercation' prior to her death: Police

Helen Schaller was the victim of a fatal shooting in Cambridge on April 17. (Courtesy of Waterloo Regional Police Service)

The Waterloo Regional Police Service says it continues to investigate the fatal shooting of Helen Schaller of Cambridge, but they are "not looking for any further suspects."

A 39-year-old Cambridge man who was a suspect in the case died Sunday.

Police say at 11 a.m. Saturday, officers were in the area of Franklin Boulevard and Savage Drive in Cambridge when they saw a man wanted on "numerous outstanding criminal charges" and who was also a suspect in Schaller's death.

The province's Special Investigations Unit says the WRPS emergency response team was called to "conduct a high-risk takedown," as officers were told that a person of interest was in a vehicle in a gas station parking lot on Franklin Boulevard.

Police said the suspect drove into a nearby wooded area, where responders found the man with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The man was taken to Cambridge Memorial Hospital and later to Hamilton General Hospital, but died of his injuries on Sunday.

Police have not released the man's name.

"The Waterloo Regional Police Service is working with the Centre of Forensic Sciences as the investigation into the homicide continues. Investigators are not looking for any further suspects in connection to this incident," police said in a release.

Schaller, 58, was shot in the Preston area of Cambridge on April 17.

"It is believed that the suspect and the victim were involved in an altercation in a parking lot, which led to the victim being shot multiple times," police said in a release.

It's the second fatal shooting in Cambridge this year: 56-year-old Kurt McKechnie was shot and killed on Jan. 31.

The SIU is investigating the circumstances around the suspect's death. The SIU investigates matters involving police where there has been death, serious injury or allegations of sexual assault. As a result, Waterloo regional police cannot provide any further information.

Waterloo Regional Police Service and Ontario Special Investigation Unit vehicles can be seen near Franklin Boulevard and Savage Drive after what the SIU called a "high-risk takedown" on Saturday. (Teghan Beaudette/CBC)