Fort Smith RCMP seeking potentially armed youth after assault, theft in town near Alberta border

Fort Smith RCMP announced Sunday that the youth was arrested “without incident” around 3:45 p.m.

He was wanted for assault with a weapon and failure to comply with a probation order related to a Feb. 26 incident.

Investigators believe the 17-year-old was also involved in a pair of break-ins Friday, during which a vehicle and “multiple” long barrel guns were stolen.

Fort Smith, a town of 2,500, was placed under a shelter-in-place advisory Friday after a shooting and suspicious death, which led the local RCMP to call in reinforcements from other detachments.

Northwest Territories RCMP Insp. Barry LaRocque said the youth was not a suspect in those offences.

“Right now, we do not have any suspects in the sudden death that occurred here in Fort Smith on Friday,” he said Sunday morning.

Police initially took the unusual step of identifying a minor in the interests of public safety, he said. Before the youth’s arrest, a news release said he had access to weapons and was “believed to be dangerous.”

Doug Flint, who lives a short distance south of Fort Smith in Alberta, said he was in town Friday picking up groceries when he noticed a surge in police presence.

“Friday was really confusing, for everybody,” he said. “The RCMP didn’t really understand what was going on, it took them a while to get adjusted. It sounds like there were actually two crime sprees going on at the same time.”

“Some people are really nervous,” he said. “Others are more like me, where it’s like, ‘OK I need to take some precautions but don’t get too excited.’”

“The rumour mill is cranking out stuff, as usual,” he added.

On Saturday, RCMP urged residents in Fort Smith and surrounding communities to be vigilant and check garages and outbuildings for unusual activity. By that time, the shelter-in-place advisory had been lifted.

LaRocque said Sunday that the situation remains fluid.

“Multiple investigations are continuing, and we’re determining the linkages between them,” he said. “Currently, we cannot unequivocally state who is responsible for each crime, but we are looking at all the different options.”

A Sunday evening update from RCMP says there will be updates on the investigation “in coming days.”