ASIRT investigating after man shot by cop in Calgary

CALGARY Alberta’s police watchdog is investigating a police-involved shooting in a convenience store in southwest Calgary Friday night which seriously injured a suspect.

The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team said staff and people inside the store called police at about 8 p.m. Friday because a man was allegedly wielding a knife and behaving erratically.

ASIRT said officers contained the building, but the situation escalated and an officer fired at the man.

Acting Chief Bob Ritchie said officers helped evacuate the store and tried talking with the man to resolve the situation. But he said they “found themselves in circumstances” where they used Tasers, a police dog and, at one point, the use of a service firearm.

Ritchie said it appears the suspect started a fire inside the store when officers were there and that smoke quickly filled the building.

“Our members face dynamic situations every day where they have to decide very quickly how to preserve life and protect public safety in unpredictable and chaotic situations,” Ritchie said in a news release on Saturday.

“Our members do everything they can to resolve all situations peacefully with as little force as necessary. However, last night was one of those situations where use of force was used.”

Ritchie said police were on scene for approximately 30 minutes before a gun was fired.

ASIRT said first aid was provided on the scene, and the man was taken to hospital with serious injuries.

Investigators said the man’s life is not believed to be in danger. Ritchie said three officers were examined at the scene for smoke inhalation as a precaution and one officer injured his hand during the incident.

ASIRT is mandated to investigate incidents in which a person has been seriously injured or killed during an interaction with police.

Ritchie said two officers are the focus of the ASIRT investigation. One has been a member for nine years and the other for 15 years, he said. Both have been placed on a 30-day administrative leave.

Ritchie said the leave is standard practice for any officer involved in a shooting and is intended to give them time to process the incident before returning to work.

“They have the full support of the Calgary Police Service,” Ritchie said.