Shots fired at OPP officers attempting to arrest Manitoba homicide suspect near Belleville, Ont.
Eric Wildman, wanted in connection with disappearance of neighbour, arrested after week-long search
Ontario Provincial Police say officers were fired at when they attempted to enter a residence just outside of Belleville, Ont., where they found Manitoba homicide suspect Eric Paul Wildman, who had been on the run for a week.
Wildman is wanted in connection the disappearance and presumed death of his neighbour, Clifford Joseph, 40, who was last seen June 7 leaving his home in the rural municipality of St. Clements, about 70 kilometres north of Winnipeg.
The officers arrested Wildman around 5:30 a.m. on Friday. In a video statement posted on Twitter, OPP say officers went to a house in Prince Edward County after receiving information from the community.
2 men arrested in Ontario
"Upon entering, they were met with gunfire coming from within the residence," OPP spokesperson Sgt. Kerry Schmidt says in the video.
"The officers moved into a position of containment around the residence, and our OPP crisis negotiators were able to make contact with the two occupants inside the house."
After lengthy negotiations, OPP arrested two men, including Wildman, who is currently being transported to Winnipeg. The other man, identified as an associate of Wildman, is being questioned, OPP said.
No injuries were reported.
Eric Wildman, a suspect from <a href="https://twitter.com/rcmpmb?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@rcmpmb</a> was taken into custody early this morning in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PrinceEdOPP?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PrinceEdOPP</a>. <br>Thank you to everyone involved, the assistance of the OPP crisis negotiators was crucial and helped facilitate a peaceful surrender. <a href="https://t.co/8pTSCBkp5j">https://t.co/8pTSCBkp5j</a> <a href="https://t.co/lzLdr9gIbk">pic.twitter.com/lzLdr9gIbk</a>
—@OPP_NewsDuring a news conference Friday morning, Manitoba RCMP said Wildman has been charged with unsafe transportation of a firearm and possession of a prohibited device without a licence. More charges are expected, said Supt. Michael Koppang, officer in charge of major crime services for the Manitoba RCMP.
RCMP have been looking for Wildman, 34, since June 12. He was spotted on Wednesday in Manitoba not far from the Ontario border, heading east on Highway 44 in a rented grey 2020 Chevy Equinox, police said.
Wildman had been seen June 11 at a Lowe's store on Panet Road in Winnipeg, police said. After leaving the store, he took a taxi to the James Armstrong Richardson International Airport, where police say he rented the Equinox.
"As the investigation progressed and further evidence was gathered the increased risk to public safety became apparent," said Koppang.
"As the risk assessment increased, so too did the public alerts as this manhunt began."
Watch | Winnipeg RCMP describe arrest of Eric Wildman in Ontario
Victim's vehicle found abandoned in Manitoba
Police announced they considered Wildman a person of interest in the Joseph investigation on June 12, after they found Wildman's abandoned vehicle in East Kildonan in Winnipeg. Inside, they located police tactical gear, guns, police patches and other items resembling police uniforms.
Police named Wildman as a homicide suspect on June 14.
Joseph's body has not been found, but RCMP say they are convinced he is dead based on evidence they've discovered. His 1997 Ford Ranger was found abandoned in a rural area of Manitoba off Road 44 East on the day he was last seen.
Earlier this week, police said they were still trying to determine what the relationship between Wildman and Joseph was.
The search for Joseph's body continues, both at Wildman's property and in other areas, although officers are not currently looking in Ontario, Koppang said.
Responding to questions about why police did not activate the emergency alert system during their search, Koppang said they didn't have enough specific information to justify its use.
"At no time during this investigation did we have the requisite knowledge of the specific risk that Mr. Wildman posed, a location where that risk might manifest itself, or a specific target of that risk," he said.
"Without this, we would simply be raising fear without any possibility of mitigating that risk."
