WILKIE, Sask. — An RCMP officer was killed in western Saskatchewan on Friday when his police cruiser hit a moose.

Mounties say Const. Derek Pineo, 38, was the only person in the vehicle and died at the scene near Wilkie, 135 kilometres west of Saskatoon.

Sgt. Paul Dawson told a news conference in Regina that he didn’t know whether Pineo was responding to a call when the collision occurred. At the time, he said, there was a mischief complaint and a call about a possible impaired driver.

Dawson said crash investigators were still examining the circumstances.

Pineo was based at the Wilkie RCMP detachment and joined the force in 2007.

Pineo’s uncle, Rupert Pineo, said his nephew grew up in Fall River, N.S., was married and had three children.

“Derek was the kind of person that he wasn’t really sure what he wanted do, but he did settle on being a Mountie and he passed the Mountie’s test and he really liked his work,” said the uncle, who was reached at his home in Shubenacadie, N.S.

Pineo has family in Saskatchewan as well as in Nova Scotia, police said.

Dawson said the death affects everyone in the RCMP.

“I think every member has been in a situation like Derek was in early this morning, responding to calls on a rural area across the country, so it does hit home with members across the country,” he said.

“We’re all part of the same family, so it’s a definite loss for everybody.”

Rupert Pineo said his nephew was a fun-loving person who enjoyed hunting deer and fishing.

He said Derek’s parents live in Fall River and were heading to Saskatchewan to deal with their son’s death.

“They’ll be devastated. They were a pretty close-knit family.”

Updated with comments from police

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WILKIE, Sask. – An RCMP officer has been killed in Saskatchewan in a collision with a moose.

Mounties say Const. Derek Pineo, who was 38, was in a police cruiser that hit the moose seven kilometres west of Wilkie.

Police say Pineo was the only one in the vehicle and died at the scene.

He was based at the Wilkie RCMP detachment and joined the RCMP in 2007.

Police say Pineo has family in Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia.

Wilkie is 135 kilometres west of Saskatoon.