CALLING LAKE – The 28-year-old Calling Lake man who was seriously injured and taken to hospital Aug. 26 after an officer-involved shooting, was carrying a gun of his own and firing shots as police surrounded the premises.
An Aug. 31 media release from the Government of Alberta on behalf of the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT), noted the investigation into the circumstances that led Athabasca RCMP members to discharge their service weapons is ongoing, but provided a few more details as to what happened that night.
RCMP were called to a Calling Lake residence shortly after 8 p.m. in response to a possible shooting. An earlier release from RCMP said a woman was allegedly shot and brought to hospital before they arrived. The man was then tracked to a different residence, at which point local officers requested the assistance of an emergency response team and police dog services.
“As described by both police and an independent witness, over the next approximately two to two-and-a-half hours, a man with a gun repeatedly exited the residence, fired shots and then returned inside,” the ASIRT release said. “At approximately 10:52 p.m., the man came outside the residence again. A confrontation occurred with police during which officers discharged their service firearms, striking the man. The man fell, then got up and entered the residence.”
The officers then entered the residence, found him injured on a bed, and administered medical assistance until EMS arrived. The suspect remains in critical, but stable condition, after he was transported to a nearby hospital then airlifted to an Edmonton hospital, said the release, which also noted a .22 calibre was recovered on the scene.
“A critical part of ASIRT’s investigation will focus on what happened when the officers discharged their firearms. RCMP retains the investigation into the conduct of the man before the officer-involved shooting. No additional information will be released until any and all available witnesses have been interviewed. ASIRT continues to attempt to identify those who may have witnessed aspects of the events that occurred at the residence between the RCMP and the man. As such, ASIRT asks that anyone who may have been in the area and may have witnessed these events and/or may have video to please contact ASIRT investigators at 780-644-1483.”
This was the second officer-involved shooting in Calling Lake in the last year. On Sept. 19, 2020, Athabasca RCMP were called to the community after reports that a man intended to become involved in a shoot-out with RCMP. The 51-year-old man was shot and died as a result of his injuries after he began walking toward officers on the scene with a loaded lever-action .30-30 rifle.
ASIRT is still investigating that incident.
