Saskatchewan Video

Tip about B.C. fugitives prompts RCMP to train rifles on Sask. couple, order them out of car

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Jade Primeau and Dakota Shepherd's two young kids sat in back seat as parents ordered out with hands up

Dakota Shepherd and Jade Primeau can be seen in a screen capture of a video they posted to social media following a tense stop with RCMP. (Screengrab/Dakota Shepherd/Facebook.com)

A couple from Prince Albert was shaken up, but relieved, after they were the subject of a tense traffic stop involving members of the Saskatchewan RCMP searching for two B.C. men accused of murder.

At around 5 p.m. Wednesday, Jade Primeau and Dakota Shepherd were driving down Highway 6 near Watson when they were pulled over by two RCMP vehicles.

An avid videographer and vlogger, Shepherd recorded the interaction, which saw RCMP officers give the couple instructions on how to exit the vehicle and approach police — who had their rifles out — as their two young children were left behind in the car.

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While the situation started off tense, it ended in laughter, as Primeau and Shepherd were told that RCMP were following up on a tip about B.C. fugitives Kam McLeod, 19, and Bryer Schmegelsky, whose 19th birthday was Sunday.

Images of murder suspects Kam McLeod and Bryer Schmegelsky recorded in northern Saskatchewan a few days after three people were found dead in B.C. (RCMP)

McLeod and Schmegelsky have been charged with second-degree murder in the death of Leonard Dyck and are wanted in connection to the deaths of Lucas Fowler and Chynna Deese.

RCMP confirmed in a statement Sunday the stop was the result of a tip that came in through 911 indicating the two fugitives were spotted at a gas station in Tisdale.

The situation was scary for the couple and Primeau said she was shaken up.

"That was really traumatizing for me," she said. "It still bothers me today I'm thinking about it, because one wrong move could have got us shot or my kids shot."

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However, the couple said while the encounter was scary at first, they don't think it was rooted in racism, as the two understand RCMP are just trying to do their job.

"Everybody should understand that the RCMP are trying to do their best to take these guys down and they're going to go above and beyond to find these guys," said Shepherd.

Watch as Jade Primeau and Dakota Shepherd are ordered out of their vehicle by RCMP:

The statement from RCMP indicated the stop was executed by members of the Melfort Traffic Services and Humboldt RCMP, noting officers did conduct a "high risk takedown" with weapons drawn.

Both of the passengers fully complied with the officers and it was quickly determined the two were not the B.C. murder suspects.

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"We are aware that a video of this traffic stop was posted to social media," RCMP noted in the statement. "Once again, we thank the driver and passenger of the vehicle for their cooperation and understanding with this matter."

While the couple said they don't really see the resemblance between Shepherd and one of the fugitives, they understand these types of stops have taken place elsewhere in Saskatchewan.

Dakota Shepherd shakes hands with an RCMP officer following a tense traffic stop on Highway 6 near Watson on July 31, 2019. The stop was triggered by a tip to police that one of the B.C. fugitives was spotted in Tisdale, Sask. (Screen grab/Dakota Shepherd/Facebook.com)

Similar stops have also happened elsewhere in Canada as RCMP search for the two men.

Tristan Schneider and the man he was travelling with were pulled over in the Leaf Rapids area — 325 kilometres west of Gillam — on Tuesday night by RCMP who were on the lookout for McLeod and Schmegelsky.

"It progressed all the way to me and my co-driver lying face down on the gravel, getting handcuffed [and police] asking where our IDs were," Schneider said.

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Police released both men once they confirmed they were not McLeod and Schmegelsky.

Late last week, RCMP in Manitoba indicated officers searching in the area from a helicopter located a damaged aluminum boat on the shore of the Nelson River.

Crews from the RCMP's underwater recovery team will be searching "significant areas of interest" in the body of water on Sunday.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Morgan Modjeski

Reporter Covering everything and anything for CBC Saskatoon, Morgan is a journalist interested in municipal and provincial affairs, Canadian crime and Canadian politics. Familiar with a variety of beats, Morgan has worked as a staff reporter for the Saskatoon StarPhoenix, Metro Calgary, Metro Saskatoon and the Fort McMurray Today and now works for CBC in Saskatoon.

with files from Erin Brohman