4 Edmonton police officers fired at man in fatal shooting near LRT tracks: watchdog
Man, 55, died in hospital Friday morning
Four Edmonton police officers opened fire on a 55-year-old man who later died after the shooting last Friday, Alberta's policing watchdog says.
The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) released new details Wednesday about the officer-involved shooting, which took place on March 25 near the LRT tracks on 95th Street, near 105th Avenue, in central Edmonton.
The man who was shot appeared to be armed with a handgun and a firearm with extended barrel when he encountered police. But at least one of these weapons was a fake, the ASIRT news release said.
An imitation firearm and two "potential improvised firearms" were later recovered from the scene of the shooting, the release said.
ASIRT released photographs of the makeshift weapons recovered from the scene, which included an imitation handgun covered with duct tape.
A spokesperson declined to provide further details about whether other improvised firearms recovered from the scene are considered functional.
Edmonton police were called to respond after the man was seen around 6:30 a.m., sitting at a picnic table on the north side of 103A Avenue, in front of police headquarters, holding what appeared to be a handgun.
Minutes later, responding officers spotted the man walking north on 96th Street, just north of 103A Avenue.
The man turned around to face the officers, but continued walking backwards. He carried what appeared to be a firearm with an extended barrel, the release said.
He then headed east on the walking path between the Bissell Centre and the LRT tunnel.
More officers responded to the area and, eventually, police spoke to the man and tried de-escalating the situation. But a stun gun was deployed twice against him, the release said.
The man, however, backed away from officers.
Shortly after 6:45 a.m., a "confrontation" occurred and four officers opened fire and shot the man, the release said.
The man was taken to hospital. He was declared dead an hour after being shot by police.
No officers were injured during the confrontation.
ASIRT — which investigates events where serious injury or death may have been caused by police — is asking anyone who witnessed the shooting to contact them.
There have been three officer-involved shooting events this year, the Edmonton Police Service said Friday.
There were five in 2021 and four in 2020, the EPS said.