Officer describes disturbing scene where Mounties shot

The first person to catch up to the location where three Saskatchewan RCMP officers had been wounded described a disturbing scene for jurors during testimony on Thursday.

Cpl. Jason Teniuk testified that he rushed from his detachment in Shellbrook to help his Spiritwood colleagues as they pursued Curt Dagenais in July 2006.

Dagenais, 44, is charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of Spiritwood RCMP constables Marc Bourdages and Robin Cameron. He's also charged with the attempted murder of Const. Michelle Knopp.

Teniuk told the court that his fellow officers were alive when he got to the scene where the chase had ended. He added that one of his colleagues was very distraught.

He said it was dark and the only lighting available was from the police trucks.

Teniuk said he cautiously approached Bourdages, who was on the ground. He said that, initially, he could not see any injuries. He also said that he knew Bourdages was alive because he could hear gurgling sounds coming from him.

Teniuk said he next bent down to his colleague.

"I went to pick him up and then noticed the back of his head was missing," Teniuk testified. Then, with assistance from other officers who had also reached the scene, they moved Bourdages to an RCMP vehicle.

 "We got him up and got him on the back of the truck as quick as we could."

Teniuk said they rode a short distance over a bumpy dirt road, to meet ambulances that had also been dispatched.

"He was bleeding a lot but he was still alive," Teniuk said. "And I was trying to comfort him."

Teniuk said they arrived at the nearby town of Mildred, Sask.,  where ambulances were waiting and Bourdages was taken to hospital right away.

More testimony about what happened is expected on Friday.

The trial is taking place in Saskatoon, before Queen's Bench Justice Gerald Allbright and a 12-person jury.