Clearwater mother of 3 dead, homicide investigation continues

CLEARWATER – RCMP found a mother of three young children dead resulting in a seven-hour standoff with a man who barricaded himself inside a house yesterday.

The suspect, believed to be the woman's common-law husband, was taken into custody, according to Global Okanagan. Clearwater RCMP said in a press release the man eventually surrendered without incident and charges have been recommended. He will appear in court later today, April 23.

The woman, Angila Wilson, has three children, ages six, four and two. Witness, Clearwater Mayor John Harwood, said all three children were removed from the home. They are safe with no physical injuries.

The altercation apparently resulting in the woman's death reportedly began in a home on Stegg Road in an area known as "The Flats" Sunday evening, near the southern part of town. After the incident the man then fled to his home near Joyce Road.

The RCMP’s Emergency Response Team surrounded the man's home while an RCMP helicopter landed in the nearby Clearwater Secondary School field. A canine unit was also on scene.

Daryl Huff was watching the incident progress Monday afternoon and was tweeting pictures of the RCMP activity.

Huff told InfoTel News police had the home in a wooded area on the north side of town surrounded.

He said nearby businesses were closed including the gas station, the hotel, a restaurant and a tire shop.

There's still no word if the man was armed.

A RCMP spokesperson at the Clearwater detachment didn’t have a lot of details to release to the public while the standoff was in progress.

“The reason the ERT is here is we are trying to figure out what is actually going on here,” Landon Tonn said. “It’s a precaution at this point. That’s all I can really tell you.”

A release posted to the B.C. RCMP website by E-Division Communication Services reads, "Clearwater RCMP is currently dealing with a police incident which involves the deployment of additional police resources to the area. As this investigation is in the early stages, police are not able to provide further information at this time. A news release will be issued with more details once available."

To contact the reporter for this story, email Howard Alexander at halexander@infotelnews.ca or call 250-491-0331. To contact the editor, email mjones@infotelnews.ca or call 250-718-2724.

— This story was updated at 5:04 p.m., Monday, April 21, 2014 to add media release from RCMP Communication Services.

— This story was updated at 10 a.m. April 22 to include details gathered by Global Okanagan.

— This story was updated at 11:23 a.m. April 22 to include details from a Canadian Press story.

— This story was updated at 1:02 p.m to include details from an RCMP press release.

— This story was updated at 12:07 p.m. April 23 to include the revised court date. The spelling of the victim's name was corrected.