One person has been charged after a Falconridge shootout on Wednesday that left a Calgary police officer injured and one of the suspects dead.
Calgary police are now saying that the incident is connected to the reported gunfire exchange between two vehicles on Glenmore Trail near 37 Street on Sept. 30 around 2:45 p.m. and a shooting shortly after in Seton.
Those shootings were investigated by Calgary police, and they’d identified several suspects, they said. Police believe those involved in the shootings and the victim are associated with rival gangs in Calgary. As a result, the victim was being targeted, they said.
Because of the suspects’ history of demonstrated violence and firearms prohibitions, the Tactical Team was brought in to arrest the suspects.
When they tried to arrest the suspects on Wednesday around 1 p.m., police were involved in a shooting where one of the suspects died. One officer, an 11-year veteran of the CPS, was taken to hospital and then later released.
A second suspect was taken into custody and police found a loaded handgun in his possession. There was a search done on that suspect’s vehicle and Calgary police found two additional loaded handguns.
Calgary police have arrested and charged Thanh Nguyen, 25 with several offenses, including attempted murder.
Calgary police Acting Deputy Chief Cliff O’Brien said Wednesday evening that dealing with gun violence is a priority for CPS.
“We also know that there were many witnesses to this brazen and unsettling incident,” he said.
“There are supports available for those people, including the victim assistance support teams, and they can be contacted at 428-8398.”
Community support needed to curb gun incidents
O’Brien said there was no current threat to the public, any time there are guns fired in the public, safety is at risk.
“It’s dangerous, especially when we have these suspects that are armed and are shooting at the police. Absolutely. It’s dangerous,” he said.
“No police officer starts their shift hoping for this type of incident. Nobody starts their shift hoping that a member of the public is dead at the end of any interaction. So, we have to acknowledge that. Further to that… nobody starts their shift hoping that they themselves are going to get hurt or they themselves are going to be shot. So, there’s a lot of emotions going through this.”
O’Brien provided limited details on the investigation as it’s now in the hands of the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT). Relaying further information could jeopardize that work, he said.
He also didn’t elaborate on the officer’s injuries in order to protect the officer’s privacy.
O’Brien said that it’s critical to get community support to tackle any gun violence happening in Calgary.
“We rely heavily on the community for that strong community support,” he said.
“If you have any information that could help in an investigation, such as witnessing suspicious behaviour or vehicles, please contact the police.”
Anyone with information on these incidents can call police at 403-266-1234.
