At about 3:30 a.m., officers were dispatched in response to a 911 call reporting a possible assault in progress at an apartment in west Edmonton. The caller reported hearing screaming and yelling coming from inside a suite. Upon arrival, events occurred that resulted in the officers attempting to force entry into the suite. While trying to gain entry, a confrontation occurred with a man who attempted to prevent entry, and several less-lethal use of force options were deployed. Ultimately, the man went onto the balcony of the fourth-floor suite and jumped or fell four storeys to the ground below. Independent evidence would suggest that no officers were on the balcony at the time. Three other individuals – a 28-year-old woman, a 24-year-old woman, and a two-year-old child – were inside the suite at the time of the incident.
The 24-year-old man was transported to hospital and admitted with life-threatening injuries. On May 16, the man died in hospital.
ASIRT investigators are asking anyone who was in the area of 170 Street and 64 Avenue at about 3:30 a.m. and may have witnessed and/or may have any video of these events to contact ASIRT by calling 780-644-1483.
ASIRT’s investigation will seek to determine whether the actions of any police officer caused or contributed to the death of the man. 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.