UPDATE 10:28 p.m.:
One man is dead following a police‑involved shooting that shut down the Alaska Highway, for several hours, near the McClintock River Bridge on Jan. 27, according to Yukon RCMP.
Police issued a press release Tuesday night, stating that officers had been trying to locate an individual wanted in connection with a Jan. 25 firearms incident in Whitehorse. A warrant had been issued for his arrest. Then on Jan. 26, the RCMP asked for the public’s help in finding the wanted man.
According to the RCMP, officers located the man at about 1 p.m. on Jan. 27 in the McClintock River Bridge area, where an “interaction” occurred and the individual was fatally shot.
The Yukon Coroner’s Service and the Yukon Department of Justice have been notified.
An earlier press release issued by Yukon RCMP on Jan. 26 stated that police were looking for the public’s help in locating 55-year-old Christopher John Delaney following a firearms incident reported on the evening of Jan. 25, in Whitehorse.
Delaney is facing several charges, including assault with a weapon, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, and pointing a firearm. The RCMP did not release further details about the incident itself.
RCMP have not connected Delaney to the incident on the Alaska Highway and are not commenting further at this time. The News has reached out to Yukon RCMP for more information.
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UPDATE 5 p.m.: Yukon RCMP spokesperson Calista MacLeod calls it a “serious incident” that police are investigating.
This is not a motor vehicle incident, MacLeod confirmed by phone shortly before 5 p.m.
Police are pleading with the public to be patient as the investigation continues.
UPDATE 3:59 p.m.: The RCMP says the detour on the Alaska Highway is expected to remain in place until sometime Wednesday, with no specific estimate yet for when the road will fully reopen.
Southbound traffic can travel only as far as North McClintock Road, also known as Swan Haven Drive, before reaching the closure. Drivers needing to go beyond that point must detour at the Carcross Cutoff, the RCMP says.
Northbound motorists from the south are being turned around at Jake’s Corner, and the RCMP says there is no local access for those trying to reach the North McClintock area from that direction.
ORIGINAL 1:55 p.m.: The Alaska Highway is currently closed in both directions on Jan. 27 as the RCMP responded to an unfolding incident near the McClintock River Bridge, according to RCMP Yukon Communications.
The Yukon RCMP issued a notice advising drivers to steer clear of the area from McClintock River Bridge to the North McClintock Road while officers carry out what they described as active police operations and an ongoing investigation.
Few details were immediately available, and the RCMP did not say when the highway might reopen.
Traffic is being rerouted at Jake’s Corner and the Carcross Cutoff, sending drivers along the Klondike and Tagish Road instead.
Motorists are urged to avoid the area entirely if possible and to monitor Yukon 511 for the latest road conditions and closure updates.
— With files from Dana Hatherly
Contact Jake Howarth at jake.howarth@yukon-news.com