Funerals set for slain Saskatchewan Mounties

Flags at locations all over Saskatchewan are flying at half-mast to honour two slain Mounties.

RCMPConst. Robin Cameron and Const. Marc Bourdages, colleagues from the Spiritwood detachment,both died over the weekend from gunshot wounds suffered on July 7.

The funeral for Cameron has been set for Friday in her home community, the Beardy's and Okemasis First Nation near Duck Lake, while Bourdages's funeralhas been set for July 25 in Regina.

Bourdages, 26, and Cameron, 29, had been in critical condition in a Saskatoon hospital since the shooting near the farming community of Mildred, about 140 kilometres west of Prince Albert.

Both officers will receive full regimental funerals. There will be a private family ceremony later for Bourdages in Saint-Eustache, Que., his hometown.

RCMP spokesman Sgt. Brian Jones confirmed the deaths in Saskatoon on Sunday at a news conference that included emotional statements from the officers' families.

"We're all tremendously saddened by today's news," Jones said. "Marc and Robin were much loved.

"The sacrifice that both Robin and Marc have made in the line of duty will never be forgotten."

RCMP Assistant Commissioner Darrell McFadyen said the two constables died within hours of each other overnight Saturday.

"Robin died at approximately 11 p.m. and Marc about two hours later," McFadyen said. "Both succumbed to severe head injuries. Despite all of the excellent care that was provided to them, they were unable to recover."

'We knew she would never come back'

The slain officers were both stationed at Spiritwood, about 10 kilometres west of Mildred.

At the news conference on Sunday, Howard Cameron talked about how proud he was of his daughter and how her family came to realize she would not recover from her injuries.

"There was nothing wrong with her heart, but wounds to her head were so devastating that doctors told us, and we knew, she would never come back," he said.

Cameron, a single mother,leaves an 11-year-old daughter.

Members of Cameron's family have repeatedly stressed how proud they are of all she was able to achieve, despite a turbulent childhood and other challenges.

She was sent away to residential school when young and dropped out of high school when she became pregnant. However, she was determined to pursue her long-time dream of becoming an RCMP officer, returning to school and even getting eye surgery to qualify for the force. She had been with the Mounties for five years.

'Marc is with us now in spirit,' wife says

Bourdages leaves his wife, who is also an RCMP officer at the Spiritwood detachment, and their nine-month-old boy.

Const. Natasha Szpakowski, who worked alongside her husband, thanked the Royal University Hospital for giving him the best care possible.

"Their love and support and the messages that we have received from across Canada helped us stay strong through this horrible week," Szpakowski said.

"But I believe that Marc is with us now in spirit and that he is in a better place where he can be peaceful."

Started with dispute between Dagenais, mother

Police are still hunting for 41-year-old Curtis Dagenais, the prime suspect in the shootings, who is believed to be armed and dangerous. An intensivesearch has failed to find any trace of him.

Police say Dagenais could face two counts of first-degree murder, and one of attempted murder for shots fired at a third RCMP officer at the scene. The third officer returned fire.

The tragedy was allegedly sparked by a disagreement on the night of July 7 between Dagenais and his mother and sister at a home in Spiritwood.

Curtis Dagenais's mother, Elsie Dagenais, and other family members have claimed that the family dispute stemmed from a three-year divorce battle between her and the suspect's father, Arthur Dagenais, after decades of domestic abuse.

Herb Jaster, the suspect's uncle on his mother's side, has said that on July 7, Curtis Dagenais found out that his mother was to be awarded half of the family farm in a divorce property settlement. He went to her house to confront his mother and sister, since he was expecting to get the farm for himself, Jaster said.

The argument escalated, police were called and Curtis Dagenais left in his truck.

Police gave chase, ending in the shooting near Mildred.

A massive police search was launched for the suspect but it was scaled back on July 13.

Suspect's father denied bail

Meanwhile, the suspect's father was denied bail on July 14 by a judge in North Battleford, Sask., who ruled his release would be a risk to public safety.

Judge Violet Meekma said Arthur Dagenais, 69, should not be released on bail because he has a history of animosity towards police. He was charged with obstruction of justice earlier in the week after returning to his farm, which police had ordered him to stay away from while they were searching for his son.

His next court appearance is July 26.