Police provide timeline of Langham, Sask. tragedy

Police are providing new details concerning a fatal shooting and an apparent suicide that rocked a quiet Saskatchewan town late last week.

On Friday, Justin Heimbecker, 46, was the subject of a police search in Langham, Sask. following a fatal shooting.

Residents were told to shelter in place as police hunted for Heimbecker, who was thought to be armed. He was later found dead in a home following a fire.

In an update issued on Monday, RCMP laid out a more detailed timeline of the events that prompted a pair of emergency notifications sent to mobile phone users in the Saskatoon, Prince Albert and North Battleford areas.

Early Friday morning, a person uttering threats in Langham was reported to Warman RCMP, the update said.

As officers were in the process of responding, additional calls came in reporting a shooting outside a home on Kyle Street and a house fire on the same street.

A 38-year-old Langham man was found dead outside of a home on the street. RCMP said his name will not be released. He was known to Heimbecker, RCMP said.

As firefighters began working to put out the fire, police made the decision to issue the first of two dangerous person alerts due to a "potential imminent risk to public safety," the update said.

At 7:40 a.m., the alert was sent to people living in Langham, as well as Saskatoon, Prince Albert and North Battleford.

"The alert was issued to the selected locations in part due to the unknown whereabouts and unknown mode of transportation of the suspect," the RCMP update said.

The second alert, sent around 9 a.m., named Heimbecker and provided a description.

"At that time, his burning house was inaccessible for safety reasons and his whereabouts were still unknown," RCMP said.

Police combed neighbouring properties with the assistance of search dogs. As the tense morning wore on, a plane could be seen above the town flying in an apparent search pattern.

After the fire was extinguished, with the assistance of firefighters, RCMP officers entered the partially-burned home and found a man believed to be Heimbecker. However, the identity of the body was not confirmed.

In Monday's update, RCMP confirmed it was Heimbecker who was found dead.

His body was discovered at 11:40 a.m. and the dangerous person alert was cancelled at noon.

The RCMP major crimes unit will continue to investigate the apparent homicide-suicide, the update said. 

"Investigators are not searching for any other people in relation to this investigation. No other injuries were reported to police in relation to this incident," RCMP said.

FUNDRAISER FOR FAMILY

Thousands of dollars in donations were pouring in on Monday to help a family affected by the tragedy.

"A series of tragic events led to a house fire in which my best friend and her two young children, ages eight and four, lost everything — including the children's father," said a GoFundMe page created over the weekend.

The fundraiser has a goal of $20,000 which would help the mother of Heimbecker's children provide herself and her kids "a safe haven for their future."

As of 3:30 p.m., the fundraiser had reached $8,950.

"They need our support to be sure their needs are taken care of while they prepare to start over and heal in the aftermath of this devastating situation," the fundraiser's description said.

HEIMBECKER'S FAMILY 'IN SHOCK'

In a phone interview with CTV News, Heimbecker's aunt, Donna Heimbecker, said his alleged actions were "out of character."

"Our family certainly sends our sincere condolences and prayers to the family and friends of this individual who also lost their life so unnecessarily through this incident," she said.

"It's just so tragic."

Like many in the Saskatoon area, she received emergency alerts on her phone concerning the incident. The first alert did not name her nephew as a suspect.

"I sent that alert to Justin and said, Are you okay? Are you alright? ... Because I just couldn't even imagine that it was happening to our family," Heimbecker said.

"We're totally in shock and in disbelief that this kind of behaviour would come from this human being."

She said he moved to Langham "a number of years ago" with his partner.

"He was always connected to his family, to his boys, which he held in very high regard — so there was no real indicator of any issues on any given day," she said.

"What was going through his mind? You know, maybe we could have reached out or he could have reached us. I don't know what was transpiring for him on that day," she said.

Heimbecker said she believes her nephew may have been facing mental health challenges.

"We'd like some answers too, of what took place ... we're just as much in the dark as everyone else is. We really don't know what happened."

PEOPLE WARNED TO KEEP AWAY FROM FIRE SITE

On Monday, Langham Fire Department Chief Bill McCombs asked people to stay away from the site of Friday's house fire.

"It has come to our attention that people are flocking around the site of the fire incident," McCombs said in a social media post.

"Please do not enter the site, it is none of your business, have some respect."

McCombs expressed concern about photos that have appeared online showing the damage to the home.

He said the site is still being investigated, is unsafe and is contaminated.

"There are now cameras in place, anyone removing items that are not theirs may be charged with theft," McCombs said.

--With files from Keenan Sorokan