A man found dead inside an Avenue Q home following a break-and-enter call and heavy police response has been identified as a 28-year-old Medicine Hat man.
Saskatoon police say Joshua John Robert Megeney, who barricaded himself inside the home on the 500 block of Avenue Q North, was found dead inside a bedroom of the house hours after officers were first called to the address and hours after shots were fired.
Officers were first sent to the home at about 9:15 a.m. Thursday following a report of a break and enter in progress. The homeowner told police someone was inside his house and said he stores several guns and ammunition in the home.
Patrol and tactical officers as well as Saskatoon police dogs responded and began working to clear the residence, police said. A man in possession of a long-barrelled gun was found inside a bedroom, and shots were fired.
Police did not initially confirm who fired the shots, but Chief Clive Weighill later clarified officers did fire. He said he wasn’t sure if the suspect also fired gunshots.
“We're not sure if the suspect fired or not. We do know that our officers did fire,” he told media Thursday night.
Police exited the house after the gunshots and established a perimeter around the home.
Tactical officers, the Saskatoon police armoured BearCat vehicle, and crisis negotiators were called to the scene, and an RCMP tactical vehicle later joined the efforts.
Police entered the house at about 4:30 p.m., after several hours attempting to make contact with Megeney, and found him dead in a bedroom.
“We didn't know if he was still holed up and barricaded in the bedroom until we could clear the house,” Weighill said.
The chief did not know the cause of death Thursday night, and while an autopsy was underway Friday, a police media release stated the results of the autopsy may not be known for “some time.”
