The RCMP’s report into the self-professed Port Alberni killers that was released Friday says 18-year-old Bryer Schmegelsky and 19-year-old Kam Mcleod planned to kill more people.
The pair was responsible for shooting and killing UBC botanist Leonard Dyck, and Australian Lucas Fowler and his American girlfriend Chynna Deese — before leading police on a nation-wide manhunt.
In the document officers describe a a video shot on a camera stolen from Dyck, where the two “Plan to go back to kill more people and expect to be dead in a week.”
“It is chilling, it is one of one the things that I am sure others will determine these individuals’ true intent and how willing they were to act on that,” said Kevin Hackett, Assistant Commissioner to the RCMP on Friday.
“We will never know unfortunately or fortunately…[in the videos] they were cold, they were remorseless, matter of fact…their attitude frankly was not consistent with someone who was responsible for the type of violent offences they took responsibility for.”
The pair was found to be armed with two semi-automatic SKS long rifles, making many stops as they traveled.
They bought items like a cowboy hat, chocolate bars, gloves and even electrical tape — which they used to disguise the Rav-4 they stole from one victim with racing stripes.
All as police tried to catch up.
In the report police waited overnight at one point to declare McLeod and Schmegelsky as suspects. They defended their decision and stood behind the entire investigation.
They said that it was a decision about timing, and that they committed a large amount of resources and specialized units.
“The RCMP moved heaven and earth to find these guys, I personally know somebody who was involved in the hunt, who was in the backwoods tactical team, and the police did everything they possibly could,” said Leo Knight, a former police officer and security expert.
One big question is why this happened. The two gave no reason on video for the killings.
“It appears to me, is that, certainly the first two, the couple killing, that looks like a thrill kill,” said Knight
“That is a frightening thing from a police perspective, if that’s the motive, then you really don’t know what they are going to do.”
The police force’s Behavioral Analysis Unit has decided they will not release the video, to make sure something like this does not happen again.
“I don’t think we want to give these two killers any more fame or infamy then they have got,” said Knight.
‘The possibility of triggering a copycat killer is always there, somebody who feels as though life is empty and said I wanna go out with some sort of blaze of glory.”
It was a horrific chain of events, that all hope never happens again.
Julian Kolsut
