BLACKFALDS, Alta. — RCMP say a stray bullet hit a bystander inside her central Alberta home before there was a police chase and a deadly highway shootout.
Officers first responded Wednesday to a firearms complaint at the house in Blackfalds, about halfway between Calgary and Edmonton.
Cpl. Laurel Scott says a man shot at the officers and the woman was struck and injured; the officers did not return gunfire.
The man drove off and was later seen heading north on Highway 2 just south of Edmonton, where police used a spike belt and the car eventually stopped.
The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team says the man exited the car and aimed a shotgun at officers before there was an exchange of shots.
The 27-year-old man died at the scene and an injured Mountie was taken to hospital but has since been released.
Scott says the 48-year-old woman is stable and recovering in hospital.
Investigators also recovered a 12-gauge, semi-automatic, tactical-style shotgun from the highway scene.
ASIRT is reviewing the shootout, and RCMP are continuing to investigate what happened in Blackfalds earlier in the day.
"We're careful to make sure the two are separated," Scott said Friday.
She said it's not known what led to the shooting in Blackfalds.
"That remains a part of our investigation. We are not able to say," Scott said.
"We have been investigating. That means taking the statements from the people in Blackfalds, from neighbours, from any witnesses, conducting an investigation of the scene. That's all been underway."
The man who died was not known to police, Scott added.
RCMP are seeking dash-cam footage taken between 8:15 a.m. and 9:45 a.m. on Wednesday that captures a black, four-door BMW sedan driving in Blackfalds and on highways between Blackfalds, Lacombe and Leduc.
Scott said at least one member of the public had provided footage as of Friday morning.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 8, 2020
— By Lauren Krugel in Calgary
The Canadian Press
