Alberta’s police watchdog cleared two RCMP officers in a fatal Feb. 4, 2023, shooting on Cold Lake First Nation.
The shooting happened after a domestic dispute. A woman fled her home after her partner, the affected person (suspect), fired a rifle into their ceiling during a struggle.
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The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) said both officers acted lawfully.
Armed and intoxicated, the suspect refused to surrender and told police he had “enough firepower here to fight for hours.”
When officers arrived, they tried to deescalate the situation.
“They maintained a safe distance and tried to encourage the suspect to exit,” read ASIRT’s report.
ASIRT also confirmed the suspect pointed a rifle at the officers’ positions from a window.
“The officers yelled at the suspect to ‘drop the gun’ at least seven times over 30 seconds,” said ASIRT.
When the suspect failed to comply, both officers fired their carbines. Additionally, the first officer fired a second shot when the suspect returned to the window holding the rifle.
ASIRT concluded both officers reasonably believed they faced a deadly threat.
“It was proportionate to the risk he presented,” the report said. “A lesser use of force was not available.”
ASIRT determined the officers had no safer options.
When officers entered the home they found the deceased suspect with a rifle next to him.
“There are no reasonable grounds to believe an offence was committed,” said the report.
The full report can be found here.
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