Sole suspect in Fort Good Hope incident now in custody

The sole suspect in the stabbing of three people in Fort Good Hope, Northwest Territories, turned himself in around 6 p.m. Thursday night, police said at a news conference in Yellowknife.

One person died in Tuesday night’s attack and two others were seriously injured. They remain in hospital in stable condition.

Northwest Territories RCMP Superintendent Jeffrey Christie said 24-year-old Thaddeus McNeely is now in custody and charges have yet to be determined.

Christie said police received a phone call earlier Thursday that McNeely was ready to surrender. Christie said the phone call was from McNeely or someone else on McNeely’s behalf. Police attended the residence where the phone call originated and McNeely was arrested without incident, according to the RCMP.

RCMP say they ‘responded within minutes’ Tuesday night after hearing a report around 8:36 p.m.

Three people were found near the property believed to be the main crime scene. One person died shortly after being brought to the health center and another was in serious condition. The third was injured but stable. Christie did not have an update on the condition of the injured victims Thursday night, other than to say they were in stable condition.

On the evening of the incident, police asked residents of Fort Good Hope to shelter in place. That order has since been lifted, but police say RCMP in the community remain on heightened alert.

Officers from various branches of the RCMP were dispatched to the community to assist with the investigation, including from British Columbia and Alberta. On Wednesday, police said around 20 officers were on the ground in the community of around 500 people.

RCMP said Thursday night that residents can expect to see a « continuous influx » of officers into the community as they secure the crime scene, collect evidence and continue their investigation.

The Northwest Territories RCMP says its leaders will continue to work with community leaders « to keep them informed of updates as this investigation continues. »