Manitoba police fatally shoot man after lengthy pursuit of stolen truck; another suspect arrested in Saskatchewan hours later

A man was shot dead by police during a lengthy pursuit of an allegedly stolen vehicle in Winnipeg and nearby municipalities Wednesday morning, according to police.

Two other suspects believed to be involved in that police chase — which led officers to Winnipeg, Otterburne, Niverville and later Saskatchewan — were arrested.

Officers from the Manitoba RCMP and Winnipeg police were involved in the initial chase and subsequent shooting, which took place around 3 a.m. in a parking lot in Otterburne, near Providence University College, south of Winnipeg.

Police say the suspects continued to flee pursuing officers following the shooting, driving the stolen truck to a Shell gas station and Tim Hortons in Niverville. There, one suspect died of his injuries, another fled to Saskatchewan in a different vehicle, and the third was placed under arrest, according to WPS and RCMP.

David Frank Burling, the suspect who fled police across the border, was arrested near Springside, Sask., around 1:30 p.m., roughly 10-and-a-half hours after the shooting. A woman in the vehicle with him was also arrested without incident, police say.

Burling and the woman were arrested in a silver vehicle — not the green 2016 Subaru CrossTrek (Manitoba licence plate LJB 238 or LMJ 710) police were searching for. “Saskatchewan RCMP continues to ask members of the public to call 310-RCMP if they see the Subaru. Do not approach it,” police said in a news release.

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Manitoba’s police watchdog — the Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba — is investigating the shooting with support from RCMP.

Chase to Winnipeg, Otterburne, Niverville

The Winnipeg Police Service shed some light on the case during an afternoon press conference, despite being limited with answers given the RCMP’s involvement and the IIU investigation.

Winnipeg police say they were notified by RCMP around 12:40 a.m. that a vehicle reported stolen from a municipality southwest of Winnipeg was “occupied by several potentially armed individuals involved in prior criminal activity” and “making its way to Winnipeg.”

Patrol units spotted the vehicle 10 minutes later near Ness Avenue and Linwood Street, near the Winnipeg airport, and a police helicopter was called in to assist.

Police say what followed was a pursuit that lasted roughly one hour — during which the WPS helicopter needed to be refuelled — leading officers to a parking lot on College Crescent in Otterburne, southeast of Winnipeg.

“As our unit entered the parking lot, their cruiser was rammed by the stolen vehicle,” Cst. Claude Chancy told reporters. “Officers immediately engaged the suspects, resulting in a use of force incident involving the officers discharging their firearms. The suspects fled the parking lot.”

The police helicopter followed the stolen truck to a parking lot on Drovers Run in Niverville. Police allege the driver then exited the F-350, entered another vehicle, and fled the area. A female passenger attempted to flee on foot and RCMP arrested her.

Winnipeg police officers found a man suffering from a gunshot wound in the truck. They say he died of his injuries at the scene.

The suspects were known to Winnipeg police.

“Police members take their oath very seriously to protect and serve the people of Winnipeg,” said Acting Chief Art Stannard. “They don’t want to kill anybody, they don’t want to shoot anybody. They want all instances to be resolved and solved without any use of force. They wear this too.”

Apparent bullet holes in WPS SUV

In Niverville later Wednesday, a heavy police presence surrounded the black pickup truck in the parking lot near the gas station and Tim Hortons.

Police expected to spend much of the day – both RCMP and WPS – in the Drovers Run area, on the west side of Niverville.

Police were also at a second scene at Highway 59 and Highway 305 near Otterburne.

A Winnipeg police SUV with a damaged front end and what appeared to be bullet holes in the windshield – at least a dozen of them – was parked at that scene.

The local school division said students in Niverville schools — at the elementary, middle, and high school levels — were to spend recess and lunch indoors “out of an abundance of caution.”

“All Niverville schools are currently in a hold and secure,” the Hanover School Division wrote on its website.

“Parents may choose to pick up their children for lunch or drop off a lunch, or the schools will ensure children are provided with food.”

The Town of Niverville thanked RCMP on its Facebook page.

“They have a tough job to do and do it well. Thank you as well to residents for their understanding and patience,” the town wrote.