2 people arrested in relation to 2021 homicide of Eskasoni man
Nova Scotia RCMP say they have arrested two people in connection with the homicide of Andrew Carter Morris, after a dramatic scene in Eskasoni on Wednesday.
Morris, 30, was found dead on Beach Road in Eskasoni in August 2021. His murder was added to the province's unsolved crime rewards program last year.
Police said the two individuals were arrested after executing a search warrant at a residence on Seventy Fourth Street on Wednesday morning.
Several officers and a heavily armoured police vehicle blocked off the area. RCMP told CBC News they were not allowed past because tear gas had been released.
Fire at house being searched
Shortly after speaking with officers, CBC News saw a drone fly into the house through an open window.
Police did not evacuate the neighbourhood, so a handful of people living nearby took out their cellphones and started recording the tense situation.
During the search, the house caught fire. It's not clear what started the blaze.
Around the time of the fire, a man was taken into custody. RCMP said another person was also arrested.
It's not clear what — if any — charges they will face.
Marina Young, a lifelong resident of Eskasoni, lives across the road from the house where the fire broke out.
By Wednesday afternoon, she told CBC News the situation had been ongoing for about four hours.
"We're basically blocked out of our driveway. Yes, it's for our safety too, because the fire is just out of control really right now," Young said.
"We woke up this morning to the dog barking and we could hear loud bangs and pops, and I looked out the window right away, and I saw the SWAT team in the driveway and a bunch of cars lined up on the street and police cars. So I knew there was something going on with our neighbours."
Young said she packed up her children and left the area to be safe.
"We weren't sure if there would be stray bullets or anything happening."
She said she's not worried about the fire spreading to her home but is concerned for her neighbours' homes.
"There are kids on both sides ... we wouldn't want their homes to burn or anyone to be caught in any kind of trouble," she said.
Firefighters were still on the scene by mid-afternoon on Wednesday.
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