Alberta’s police watchdog is investigating a fatal shooting involving an officer in southwest Edmonton, which police say happened after officers encountered a suspect armed with “edged weapons.”
In a news release Saturday, the Edmonton Police Service (EPS) said its officers attempted life-saving measures, but the suspect, a 59-year-old man, was pronounced dead at the scene by emergency services.
No EPS officers or other emergency personnel were injured in the incident, the release said.
At around 11:58 p.m. on Friday, EPS officers were called by fire services to the scene of a collision between a vehicle and a fire rescue truck.
It was reported to police that the driver of the vehicle attempted to assault emergency personnel with a blunt object before fleeing the scene, the release said.
Police said officers also received two more “hit-and-run reports” involving a similar vehicle in Edmonton’s southwest. These incidents also involved complainants being allegedly assaulted with a blunt object by the driver, before he fled.
One driver sustained minor injuries, the release said.
Police located a vehicle matching the description of the car at the earlier incidents at a residence on Christie Vista S.W.
“The vehicle appeared to have recent collision damage,” the release said.
“When attempting to make contact with the subject, a confrontation occurred between a male suspect armed with edged weapons and one officer discharged a firearm.”
The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team, the police watchdog, has been deployed by the Police Review Commission to conduct an independent investigation into the shooting.