A 44-year-old woman was killed Friday night in a shooting on a southeastern Saskatchewan highway that police believe was random.
RCMP officers were called shortly after 8 p.m. Friday with a report of a seriously injured person in an SUV on Highway 39, about three kilometres west of Weyburn.
Investigators determined two women were travelling toward Weyburn in a black Ford Explorer when they heard a loud crack. Police have determined a gunshot hit the vehicle and struck the passenger, a 44-year-old woman from Weyburn, who died at the scene.
Her family has been notified, RCMP said in a Saturday news release.
The driver, who is also from the Weyburn area, is not considered a suspect, RCMP said.
The RCMP’s major crimes unit is investigating, and at this point, the shooting appears to have been random, police said.
“We understand the current circumstances of this investigation may cause concern, particularly for locals and those who travel on Highway 39,” Insp. Ashley St. Germaine of the RCMP’s major crimes branch said in the news release.
Police are asking anyone who was driving on Highway 39, or northwest of Weyburn around 8 p.m. Friday to report anything unusual, including suspicious people, vehicles or activity.
“Was someone target practising in the area? Was another vehicle driving erratically on that road?” St. Germaine said the news release, asking for anyone who might have information to contact investigators.
RCMP also warned that members of the public, including farmers and others working late, should remain vigilant, making sure to lock their vehicles and remove their keys.
So far, no other suspicious incidents in the area have been linked to the shooting, police said.
Highway 39 has now reopened to traffic, but RCMP said there will be an increased police presence in the Weyburn area through the weekend.
Anyone with information is asked to call 911 or to make an anonymous report to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.