Manitoba RCMP officer shot in back of head, court hears at bail hearing for 1 of 4 accused

One of four men arrested following the shooting of an RCMP in officer in western Manitoba has been granted bail as new details surface about the incident.

Delaney Houle was granted release from Brandon Correctional Centre, where he has been since the Aug. 29 incident near Onanole, following a court hearing Monday morning.

One of Houle's co-accused, Shane Beaulieu, was previously granted bail, while Tommy Beaulieu was not. All three were charged with a number of offences, including two counts each of breaking and entering, possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000 and weapons-related offences.

Therae Racette-Beaulieu — the man RCMP allege pulled the trigger of the gun that wounded Cpl. Graeme Kingdon — remains in custody. His matter is expected in court next month. He was charged with two counts of attempted murder.

Officer shot in back of head 

Court also heard additional details surrounding the incident Houle and his three co-accused are alleged to have taken part in. The allegations haven't yet been tried and all four are presumed innocent until proven otherwise.

Crown prosecutor Grant Hughes told court the two officers — Cpl. Kingdon and another constable — were headed to a break and enter in the Onanole area, after a property owner reported he saw a group of men going through buildings on his property via a security camera.

Hughes said Kingdon ran into the front of the truck the men had allegedly stolen from another property with his cruiser, pushing it in a hole, adding that the officers saw three men get out and run into the bushes.

Kingdon was shot in the back of the head shortly after, Hughes said, adding two more shots were fired shortly after the first.

"[Cpl.] Kingdon was confused and disoriented and wasn't sure if he was shot," Hughes told court, adding that Kingdon's partner found him kneeling on the ground, bleeding. "He said it felt like someone struck him in the back of the head with a bat."   

Hughes said Kingdon suffered a fractured skull, and while he has been released from hospital, all of the pellets from the shotgun shell couldn't be removed from his body.

Officers found three spent shotgun shells at the scene, Hughes said. 

The incident sparked a massive manhunt that lasted into the following morning.

Local couple offers pair of accused a ride 

Hughes said Shane Beaulieu was arrested walking down a road in the area around 6 a.m.

Houle and Racette-Beaulieu were arrested after Hughes said the pair went to the home of a local couple, asking for a ride. Hughes said the couple wasn't aware of the shooting and agreed to give them a ride. They were arrested at an RCMP roadblock around 7:20 a.m.

The fourth accused, Tommy Beaulieu, was arrested in Neepawa after an hours-long standoff later in the day.

Houle is accused in a number of break and enters that occurred the evening of the shooting. Hughes said RCMP seized five firearms and other items believed to have been taken earlier in the evening.

"It's quite concerning that these individuals are walking around with firearms," Hughes said. "It was certainly foreseeable that something would happen should somebody interrupt their break and enter. As it happens … it happened to be police officers that interrupted the break and enter."

Father of two

Tara Walker, Houle's lawyer, told court he is a father of two young kids and that the men he is accused of being with typically aren't people he'd associate with.

"These are not [Houle's] general friends … based on his mother and brother's knowledge," she said.

Provincial Judge John Combs released Houle on bail, saying he didn't believe Houle's situation was any different than Shane Beaulieu's, who was granted bail.

Houle's mother, Mary Houle, who was in court alongside his brother for the hearing, told CBC News that it's been a long two months for her tight-knit family.

"Like any mother, I missed my child and I'm glad he's finally coming home," she said. "At the same time, I'm angry with him for jumping in with criminals."

Mary said she believes her son has learned his lesson.

"He made a mistake. Some people make mistakes like my son did," she said. "A huge one."

Houle was ordered confined to his family's home in Sandy Bay First Nation 24 hours per day, except for work. 

He was also ordered not to contact the three co-accused in the case or the two RCMP officers. He was also prohibited from possessing any weapons.