KILLAM — The father of a man charged with attempted murder in the shooting of two Alberta Mounties has made an emotional plea for his fugitive son to come home.
Ray Robison spoke directly to his son at a news conference outside the RCMP detachment in Killam on Thursday.
“Sawyer, we love you,” he read haltingly from a piece of paper, his wife and a friend at his side. “You know that.
“We want to have you back and we know how hard it may be for you to come back to us.
“Swallow your hurt and listen to the quiet world.”
Robison said the 27-year-old man has the support of family and friends.
Sawyer Clarke Robison has been on the run since Tuesday when the Mounties were shot on the family farm, about 160 kilometres southeast of Edmonton.
RCMP have said they consider him a high risk because he may be armed with long-barrelled weapons. He’s now the subject of a Canada-wide warrant.
Spokesman Sgt. Patrick Webb said police are casting a wide net for information to resolve things without further violence.
“We’ve been in contact with not only family but also friends,” he said.
“In speaking with them, it became obvious that their information may have a big impact on being able to get him to realize that there is an out in this situation, that violence doesn’t have to stay in his status, simply he can resolve it by approaching us and we can resolve it peacefully.”
Webb also confirmed that investigators believe it was Robison’s uncle, Brad Clarke, who was found dead at the scene. An autopsy will have to be conducted before police can release the cause of death.
Constables Sheldon Shah and Sidney Gaudette underwent surgery in an Edmonton hospital and are expected to recover.
Webb gave more information about how the shooting took place.
Four officers went to the property to execute a search warrant for a handgun. The warrant was part of an ongoing investigation the small detachment had been involved in for about a week.
“That search had just started,” he said. “Two of the members had gone into the residence. Some incidents happened inside resulting in shots fired.
“The two RCMP members came out of the residence and were taken away injured.”
Police have said Robison was witnessed leaving the property as the four officers from Killam were arriving.
Webb has said the original investigation was connected to a previous domestic violence incident in a nearby town.
The public has been warned not to approach Sawyer Robison. Webb said there’s nothing to indicate he’s gone far.
mother and father live in a smaller house.
Neighbours call them “normal farm people.”
Robison also worked as a professional photographer, specializing in the arts and portraiture.
Police have said Robison may be driving a black 2000 Chevrolet Silverado with Alberta licence plate number UZE 545. He is described as being just over six feet tall and weighing 200 pounds. He has brown hair and eyes and is very fit in appearance.