Man dead, woman seriously hurt in what P.E.I. RCMP call a ‘targeted’ shooting into a vehicle

A man is dead and a woman has serious injuries after what RCMP are calling a “targeted” shooting into a vehicle near Wellington in western Prince Edward Island. 

Scott Ferris, the RCMP’s senior communications adviser for P.E.I., said the incident happened around 8 p.m. AT on Friday, in the Urbainville area. 

“We had reports of shots being fired in the area,” he said Saturday morning. 

“At that scene, our officers discovered a vehicle that appears to have crashed into a ditch. It struck a telephone pole,” he said. “Island EMS were also on the scene at that time. There was an unidentified man in the vehicle — he appears to have been the driver — who was pronounced dead at the scene.”

A 50-year-old Summerside woman who was also in the 2008 Toyota Corolla was taken to Prince County Hospital with serious injuries, he said.

Ferris said he did not have information about whether the injuries were caused by the shooting or the crash.

The shooting happened on Route 125, the Hackmatack Road, which Ferris described as “a small service road.” At about 10:30 p.m. Friday night, the RCMP sent out a news release saying that road and Wellington Road, Route 124, were closed to all traffic, with detours in place. 

Both roads reopened shortly after 9 a.m. Saturday.

“The investigation is giving us very strong indications that the incident was targeted, the shots fired were targeted, and isolated to that particular scene,” said Ferris, when asked why no Alert Ready message was issued to the public. “It’s very clear at this point in time.”

The P.E.I. RCMP Major Crime Unit is leading the investigation. 

Police are asking anyone with information about the incident to contact Prince District RCMP at 902-853-9300 or 902-436-9300.

People wanting to stay anonymous are being asked to call P.E.I. Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).