The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) is investigating after a use-of-force incident on Deerfoot Trail Sunday that resulted in a Calgary police officer shooting a suspect.
According to Calgary police, who could only comment on the activities leading up to the shooting, officers were dispatched around 4:17 p.m. Sunday for multiple reports of an erratic driver.
Insp. Mike Anderson told reporters Sunday evening that the same person had be responsible for driving erratically and fleeing from police inside and outside Calgary over the prior 24 hours.
“We located the vehicle and successfully brought it to a stop along Deerfoot Trail between 16th Avenue and Memorial Drive,” Anderson said.
“As officers worked to bring the driver into custody, a confrontation occurred, resulting in multiple officers using a variety of use-of-force tools, including one officer discharging their service firearm.”
Anderson was unable to disclose the other force used against the suspect, as it would be a part of the ASIRT investigation.
The victim was taken to hospital in life-threatening condition, police said. Later on Monday morning, Calgary police confirmed that the victim had died.
Insp. Anderson provided some details on the lead up to the attempted arrest.
“This call initiative started downtown. The driver was driving the wrong way on one-way streets, high speed, through red lights, and was believed to have been involved in multiple collisions,” Anderson said.
He acknowledged that police vehicles were used to bring the vehicle to a stop.
“When we intervene with vehicles, we do it in the safest way possible. I’m not sure what the speeds were at that time, but it was a police vehicle intervention that stopped that vehicle.”
No CPS officers or citizens were injured in the ordeal.
ASIRT is called in to investigate any matters involving police use of force that results in serious injury or death, or if there are allegations of police misconduct.
