Man shot dead by Calgary officer
Plainclothes officer was in unmarked car on lunch break when altercation occurred
Alberta’s police watchdog is investigating a late-night officerinvolved fatal shooting Monday in Bridgeland.
Just after 11:30 p.m., a confrontation between an on-duty plainclothes officer and an unknown male took place in the Riverside Bungalow parking lot in the area of 6th Street and 2nd Avenue N.E., across from St. Angela School, Deputy Chief Steve Barlow said during a news conference Tuesday.
“This confrontation resulted in the officer discharging his service firearm,” Barlow said.
The officer, a member of the city’s elite strike force surveillance and intelligence-gathering team, was sitting in an unmarked Calgary police vehicle on a lunch break when the altercation took place.
First aid was provided, Barlow said, but the male was later pronounced dead at the scene.
The police officer, who was not injured, has been placed on a mandatory leave period.
While Barlow declined to elaborate on the nature of the altercation due to the ongoing investigation, sources confirm to Postmedia it was the result of a botched robbery attempt.
Area residents who spoke to Postmedia recalled hearing a commotion in the area, followed by loud bangs they believed were gunshots.
Jessica Shaughnessy, who lives on the same block, told Postmedia she heard a single gunshot.
The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team has been called in to investigate.
Monday ’s shooting comes nearly three weeks after Const. Jordan Forget was shot when a carjacking suspect opened fire on police in Abbeydale on March 27.
The still-unidentified gunman was found dead inside a burnedout garage at the scene of the shooting.
On Jan. 27, Calgary police opened fire on a man who leaped from a second-floor balcony and attacked officers with an axe on 68th Avenue, in the neighbourhood of Kingsland.
He later died of his injuries in hospital.
Calgary Police Association president Les Kaminski said Monday evening ’s shooting is the latest example of the risk officers face on a daily basis on city streets.
“For the second time in two weeks, a criminal attempted to murder one of our officers,” he said.
“Although the officer made every effort to de-escalate the situation, this man, armed with a knife, knowing full well he was dealing with a police officer, decided he would rather kill a cop than be arrested.”
He explained that using deadly force to stop a threat is an outcome no police officer wants to face.
“Thankfully, the officer was uninjured and was able to go home to his wife and children,” he said.
“Our members have rallied around one another over the past few weeks, and we are extremely grateful for the support and appreciation shown by our citizens. “