Constable Lionide Nicholas Johnston

A native of the Metis community of Lac la Biche, Alberta, 32-year-old Const. Leo Johnston followed his twin brother into the RCMP following a near-fatal motorcycle accident in 1997.

"He was the kind of person who lived his life and didn't sit in the back watching everything go by," Art MacKenzie, owner of Calgary's Race City Speedway told the Montreal Gazette.

After he recovered from the accident that left him with several injuries and in a coma, Johnston entered training and graduated in 2001. He went on to work in general policing duties in Mayerthorpe, where he was also a trusted native liaison officer for the nearby Alexis First Nation.

He shot a perfect score in pistol and rifle marksmanship qualifications, earning him Crown Pistols and Crown Rifles badges for his dress uniform. He also earned the moniker 'sharpshooter,' a title he shared with his brother who serves on the force in British Columbia.

Johnston was organizing a softball game with the youths at Alexis First Nation before he died. His colleague Constable Julie Letal said everyone on the reserve respected him, partly because Johnston himself was Métis.

The Métis National Council released a statement following the shootings saying the deaths had affected the entire Métis nation.

Const. Johnston married his wife Kelly just three-and-half months ago on Nov. 13.

"I've just lost the most important part of my life," Kelly, surrounded by relatives, told reporters. "I married my lover, my friend, my trusted confidante -- and a man who took an innocent and even a child-like pleasure in every moment life had to offer."

Leo deserved much more from life, she said. "Leo deserved to see our wedding photos. Leo deserved to go on our honeymoon. And Leo deserved to come home. And most importantly, Leo deserved to live."

"There's nothing more anybody can take from me than my handsome Leo, because there's nothing in this world that can replace my handsome Leo."

Johnston's colleague in the Mayerthorpe RCMP detachment described his love for his wife, in a report in The Edmonton Journal.

"He loved his wife," said Letal.

"He just got married and he glowed when he talked about her, about how much he loved her."

The Johnston family issued a release following the shooting that spoke of the "loved, treasured" family member they lost.

"Spending time with his wife and two dogs was a source of great pleasure for Leo," they wrote.

They said he and his twin brother, Lee, spent their youth hunting and trapping with their father.

"The greatest enjoyment was gained, not from a successful hunt, but just in the pleasure of being with loved ones in the outdoors."