On that day at approximately 2:25 a.m., a motion alarm was activated at a business in an industrial area of Cold Lake. The business owner contacted the RCMP, who were dispatched to the location in response to the possible break and enter. One RCMP member arrived and used his police vehicle to block in a suspect vehicle, which was in the alley behind the business. A confrontation occurred between the officer and the occupants of the suspect vehicle that led to the RCMP member firing his service pistol, striking the 26-year-old male driver of the vehicle. Once the vehicle stopped, police arrested the driver and a 46-year-old female passenger without further incident.
The man sustained a single gunshot wound to the leg, which resulted in injuries that weren’t considered life-threatening. Police provided medical care to the man until the arrival of Emergency Medical Services. Upon the arrival of EMS, the man was treated and transported to hospital, where he was treated before being released into RCMP custody.
No one else was injured during the course of this incident.
ASIRT’s investigation will focus on the actions of police during this incident, while the RCMP will maintain responsibility for the investigation into offences that may have been committed by the two individuals who were arrested. As the investigation is 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.