On Sept. 19, at about 11:15 p.m., members of the Athabasca RCMP detachment responded to a residence in Calling Lake in response to a series of 911 calls. The responding officers were dispatched to reports that the caller had made a statement suggesting he intended an armed confrontation with police. Upon arrival at the location, RCMP members located the 51-year-old man outside the residence. Shortly thereafter, he re-entered the residence.
RCMP contained the location, awaiting the arrival of backup and the Emergency Response Team (ERT). During this time, police were able to make contact with the man by phone. At about 1:32 a.m., prior to the arrival of ERT, the man emerged from the residence while carrying a firearm and began to walk down the road. At that time, a confrontation occurred with RCMP members during which one police officer discharged his service firearm, striking the man. RCMP provided first aid to the man until the arrival of EMS, who pronounced the man dead. A loaded lever-action .30-30 rifle and a spent shell casing were recovered from the scene of the confrontation.
This .30-30 rifle was recovered from the scene of the confrontation.
ASIRT’s investigation will examine the conduct of police during this incident, while the RCMP will maintain responsibility for the investigation into the man and his actions. With ASIRT’s investigation underway, no further information will be released at this time.
ASIRT’s mandate is to effectively, independently and objectively investigate incidents involving Alberta’s police that have resulted in serious injury or death to any person, as well as serious or sensitive allegations of police misconduct.
This release is distributed by the Government of Alberta on behalf of the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team.