ST. PAUL/BONNYVILLE - RCMP have confirmed a man was shot by police during a confrontation at a rural residence near Chicken Hill Lake in the MD of Bonnyville Friday night. The suspect is in hospital with life-threatening injuries.
"On Feb. 9 at 9:45 p.m., Bonnyville RCMP officers responded to a report of a male acting erratically, trying to break into a room where people were hiding, and causing damage to a rural home in the Municipal District of Bonnyville. Recognizing the imminent threat, members identified themselves and entered the residence. Immediate efforts to de-escalate were successful allowing the members to escort other people within the household to safety," states a media release made available Saturday afternoon.
"The suspect then confronted officers again. This resulted in an officer discharging their service firearm and the suspect being seriously injured. Officers immediately transitioned to life saving measures, rendering critical first aid to the suspect as EMS was called. The suspect has been taken by STARS to hospital where they remain in serious, life-threatening condition. A non-police firearm was recovered at the scene."
No members of the public or officers were injured during the incident.
On Saturday morning, at least five police vehicles could be seen parked in the yard of the rural residence, located at the end of a long driveway on Range Road 482 and Township Road 590, just south of Chicken Hill Lake. At that time there was no sign of any outside activity in the yard with police initially saying little other than to confirm it was a crime scene.
"In compliance with legislative requirements, the Director of Law Enforcement was immediately notified causing the deployment of ASIRT to conduct an independent investigation. The RCMP believes in accountability and transparency and in so doing will provide full support to the ASIRT investigators and also conduct its own internal review," states the media release.
"Events like this are difficult for the communities in which they occur, as well as the general public and RCMP members involved. RCMP members recognize the trust placed in them to use force that is necessary, proportional and reasonable and in so doing remain fully accountable. While this is not the outcome that we hope for, it is a situation for which RCMP members are highly trained. Understanding that the ASIRT investigation will capture all the details, it is apparent that the officer’s actions were instrumental in preventing further harm from others in the residence as well as providing immediate life saving first aid to the subject of the complaint.
"Independent of ASIRT’s investigation, the RCMP’s internal review process has been implemented to gather a full account of what took place during this incident. RCMP training, policy, police response, and the member’s duty status will be subject to review. The RCMP is fully cooperating with ASIRT."
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