By James Peters

Kamloops RCMP Officer Injured in Shooting

Dec 3, 2014 | 4:00 AM

A 13-year RCMP veteran is in critical but stable condition after he was shot while conducting a traffic stop early this morning in Batchelor Heights. RCMP say the officer injured in this morning’s shooting is Corporal J.R. Michaud. At a news briefing this morning, RCMP Superintendent Brad Mueller says Michaud had stopped a vehicle in Batchelor Heights around 2:45 a.m. as part of an ongoing investigation. He was wearing a bulletproof vest and was approaching the suspect vehicle when someone in the suspect vehicle opened fire. A backup officer on scene returned fire, and the vehicle fled. Michaud was transported to Royal Inland Hospital for emergency surgery. A massive manhunt ensued after the vehicle fled, lasting for 12 hours. 

Much of Batchelor Heights was closed to incoming traffic on Wednesday afternoon, but an arrest was made at around 3:30 p.m. A 36-year-old man was taken into custody without incident outside of a Batchelor Heights residence. No name is being released as no charges have yet been approved. Some Batchelor residents living in the Raven Drive and the south end of Grasslands Boulevard were still unable to get to their homes at supper time on Wednesday. Kamloops RCMP say a reception centre has been set up at the ISC’s Parkside Lounge for those Batch residents who were not allowed home.