Sask. mother, son's deaths connected to incident that left police officer injured: family

Police in Estevan, Sask. say an incident that left an officer and suspect seriously injured is connected with an early-morning homicide.

The officer was airlifted to Regina for medical treatment following an altercation with a man at the city's police station Wednesday morning.

“He’s still receiving treatment in hospital. His condition is stable and we’re hoping for a fast recovery so he can come back to us,” Estevan Police Service (EPS) Chief Richard Lowen told CTV News Thursday.

According to police, the man had been taken into custody after officers were called to an apartment in the 1200 block of Sixth Street just after 6:30 a.m.

Police found Karie Ann Guillas, 46, suffering from serious upper body injuries consistent with stab wounds.

She was rushed to hospital by paramedics and pronounced dead around 9:30 a.m., police said.

“We got along really well, she was like my big sister,” Micheal Dumba, a former co-worker of Guillas, told CTV News.

“I can’t remember all of them but she loved telling jokes. She always wanted to make sure you smiled,” he added.

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According to a close family member who asked not to be identified, Guillas' son was the man arrested by police.

The family member told CTV News he also died in hospital on Wednesday. Police have not confirmed his death.

“On behalf of the Estevan Police Service, we would like to pass on our condolences to all the family members to those that are involved in these circumstances,” Lowen said.

The service has been in contact with Guillas’ family, according to Lowen.

The Saskatchewan Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT) said on Wednesday morning that it was deployed to an officer-involved shooting in Estevan. The provincial agency investigates serious officer-involved incidents.

Lowen said EPS can only comment on the ongoing homicide investigation – as the incident at the station is under investigation by SIRT.

Lowen said the identities of the officer involved in the altercation and the suspect would not be released by EPS.

“Any further questions involving the incident at the station will have to go through SIRT,” he said.

“There are no outstanding suspects in relation to the homicide at this time. There is no risk to the public,” he added.

Estevan’s last homicide occurred on June 7, 2021, according to Saskatchewan RCMP.

“I can say that Estevan is a very safe community for the most part and these circumstances are few and far between,” Lowen said. “They don’t encounter these sort of things very often. So when it does happen it does cause a great deal of trauma to both members of the public and the officers involved.”

Estevan is home to approximately 11,000 residents and is located about 200 kilometres southeast of Regina near the U.S. border.