Calgary, AB,
21
September
2017
|
11:32
America/Denver

Statement from Acting Chief Ray Robitaille - Officer-involved shooting

The following statement was provided by Acting Chief Ray Robitaille in relation to an officer-involved shooting that took place yesterday, Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2017.

 

I want to begin by sharing with you that every single day our officers are faced with dynamic situations in which the preservation of life is always paramount. This year we have attended nearly 220,000 calls for service and of those 15 have resulted in Service firearms being pointed at a citizen, which amounts to less than a fraction of a per cent of all calls for CPS members. The numbers show that our members do everything possible to resolve a situation before ever drawing and discharging a firearm. Our priority is always the protection of the community and fellow officers.

Our Domestic Conflict Unit is also witnessing an increase in calls. Last month alone we recorded nearly 1,500 domestic incidents with almost 340 of those involving violence.

Yesterday was one of those calls reporting domestic violence, which quickly turned into a high-risk incident in which our officers responded to ensure the wellbeing of all involved. Earlier in the day at approximately 4:15 p.m., officers were called to a home in the 900 block of 17A Street N.E., where a man allegedly had assaulted several people prior to leaving the scene.

A short while later the man was located in the detached garage of a residence in the 500 block of Markerville Road N.E. Text messages and conversations with friends and family had indicated he was in distress.

Officers contained the scene and attempted verbal communications with the man for approximately an hour and a half, in an effort to have him surrender peacefully. Officers believed the man was armed with a weapon.

At approximately 8 p.m., the man exited the garage quickly, carrying weapons and confronting our officers. The situation escalated and during the confrontation a taser was deployed as well as Service firearms.

The man was taken to hospital where he remains in serious condition.

CPS is leading the investigation into the domestic incident and charges are pending.

The suspect is known to police.

The three officers that will be the focus of the ASIRT investigation - a 15-year member of the Service, a 10-year member of the Service and a four-year member of the Service, have our full support, as do all officers in the lawful execution of their duties. They, along with other CPS officers, responded to this call in a timely manner, taking all the necessary steps to ensure public safety and the safety of our officers was not compromised. Their patience and due diligence was exceptional. Significant attempts were made to peacefully resolve the situation, but their duty to protect both the community and their fellow officers, led to actions that stopped the threat.

We are fully cooperating with ASIRT and respect the parameters of their investigation, and therefore, are not able to provide further information on the incident and the actions of our officers. We will provide all information necessary for ASIRT to conduct a thorough investigation that ensures public trust is maintained through transparency, accountability and effective oversight.