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shooting
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Indigenous youth shot and killed by officer
On February 5th, 2011, Constable Redlick and several other officers were dispatched to a robbery call. At the scene, there was a confrontation between officers and a 17 year old Indigenous boy. Officers claim that the teen carried a knife and a baseball bat, and charged toward Redlick, yelling "you're going to have to shoot me". No physical contact or altercation had yet been made with the victim when Redlick shot him three times from what he judged to be around three meters away. He died soon after on the operating table. Family and friends on the Cold Lake First Nation say that he was a troubled boy and struggled with alcohol addiction but didn't deserve to die. A fatality inquiry report released in August 2014 ruled that Redlick's actions were justified because the officers at the scene were faced with lethal force. An investigation by the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team also found Redlick's actions justified in December of 2011. The teen's family sued police, alleging that Redlick's testimony contained contradictions and fabrications. The teen's father hired a lawyer that asserted an Indigenous investigator should have been hired to look into the case. -
ASIRT investigating a fatal shooting of a man by EPS
Around 11:15pm on 03/12/2022 , EPS was called to Pleasantview, near 109th Street and 53rd Avenue, regarding a man who had 24 outstanding provincial warrants, as well as a Canada-wide warrant. The EPS Tactical team was called for the arrest. The man was surveilled in a moving vehicle with 2 female passengers and once they arrived at a building near 105 St and 38 Ave and the women were out of the car, the tactical team went in. A confrontation occurred and shots were fired, it is unclear how many officers fired. Tactical Emergency Medical Support (TEMS) was on the scene and attended to him but the man died from his injuries. The name has not been released. ASIRT is now investigating the shooting. The archive team notes that the ASIRT report shows a photo of a 'weapon' found inside the victim's vehicle (see media attachment). Unless it has been modified, this is a paintball gun. -
Police shoot, kill man during a traffic stop after impaired driving complaints
At 1 PM on March 9, 2017, Edmonton Police received two 911 calls about an erratic driver. One of the callers followed the offending vehicle they had called about-a blue van- off the Whitemud into a cul-de-sac at Hollands Landing where it came to a halt. By 1:30 Constable Ian Wood-a veteran of six years - was dispatched to the neighbourhood and upon arrival pulled his car in front of a blue Pontiac van and demanded the driver stay in his vehicle. The driver- fifty-five-year-old Vitaly Savin- instead exited the van and according to Wood was swaying back and forth and insisted that he was not drunk after Wood stated that he was (a later test found that his blood-alcohol content was three and a half times the legal limit). Wood then grabbed Savin’s left arm intending to arrest him for impaired driving, but withdrew, stood back, and radioed for other officers to respond when he saw Savin rummaging for something in the van with his right. Wood then ordered Savin to show his hands but instead Savin drew a hunting knife from his car and charged Wood who turned, ran several meters down the icy road, slipped and fell on his back. According to Wood, he shouted at the man to drop his knife, but Savin attempted to stab him. Wood was able to kick Savin away far enough for the constable to draw and shoot his pistol four times, killing the man. Aman Jaggi, the only known witness heard “muttering,” then shouting and then four shots being fired “seconds” afterward. He went outside to talk to Wood who told him that he had pulled Savin over, that he came at him with a hunting life, slipped and “had to shoot him.” Jaggi then filmed other officers who had then arrived who were attempting to resuscitate Savin. A subsequent ASIRT investigation determined Cst. Wood's actions were justified. Savin was a dual citizen of Russia and Canada, and the Russian consulate requested ASIRT investigate whether "Russian racism" was a factor in the shooting. The ASIRT investigation concluded that Savin's background was not a factor in the incident. -
Unarmed man shot and injured by police
Between March 25th to 27th, 2017, Edmonton Police received a tip that Bradley Ladouceur, 35, was armed and “willing to use them against police officers.” At this point Ladouceur was on release for gun related charges with officers surveilling Ladouceur’s home observing him breaching his bail conditions on the 27th, however the police furthermore stated that there was a warrant out for his arrest, but no such warrant existed at the time. On the 28th these officers did a curfew check on his home but found that he was not there at the time. Two days later Ladouceur called the police telling them that he was willing to surrender after being informed that he was violating his bail and had a warrant against him. The police then told him that they would call him back and did so by 6 PM to which Ladouceur told the police that he wanted a lawyer and apparently became angry and hung up. He was then observed leaving his home carrying a black bag into his Chevy Impala and avoided the police by doing an illegal U-turn and ran a red light. The police patrolled the area and found the car, abandoned. At around 6:20 PM a plain clothes officer and member of the team surveilling Ladouceur found him walking at 128 Avenue and 52 Street, with a second officer arriving immediately after. The surveillance officer (reported to be in the police for four years) confronted Ladouceur and told him that he was under arrest. Ladouceur was unarmed, but according to the police reached into his pocket and took out his cellphone which the officer perceived as a gun and shot at Ladouceur, striking and injuring him. Ladouceur was transferred to the Royal Alexandra Hospital for his injuries with ASIRT opening up an investigation that day. Although he remained under 24/7 police guard, no charges were laid against him until April 28 2017, when several 2016 allegations were made against him. On March 19, 2020 ASIRT deemed the shooting justified. -
Man shot and injured outside of Kingsway Garden Mall
Edmonton Police Service members responded to a 911 call concerning a disoriented, bleeding male who was in possession of a knife outside the Kingsway Garden Mall. Five or six police officers surrounded the man, who refused to obey their repeated orders to put down the knife and lie down on the ground. When the man refused to obey these orders and attempted to evade the police, he was pepper-sprayed several times. However, the witness says the man was not deterred by the spray and began charging at police. At this point, the witness said the police used a taser to try stop the man and this also did not work to stop him. It was at this point that one of the officers shot the man and he went down to the ground. The man was treated in hospital. An ASIRT investigation concluded with no criminal charges for the officers involved. The injured man faced several charges resulting from the incident, the outcome of which the Archive team was unable to locate. -
Man killed by gunfire during struggle with police
On May 10, 2009, two police officers confronted Shawn Price and attempted to arrest him for an armed robbery that had occurred minutes before. Price pulled an object from his pocket and threw it on the ground - the object was a crack pipe, which according to some reports the police may have believed was a weapon, causing them to escalate and try to take Price into custody. Price resisted the officers' attempts to handcuff him, and as he wrestled with Constable Horchuk, the other officer Constable Gowin struck him with her baton several times. Price pulled at various elements of Cst Horchuk's uniform before placing his hand on the officer's holstered service pistol. Cst Horchuk yelled to Cst Gowin that Price was "going for my gun". Cst Gowin first shot Price in the back, and when the altercation continued, she shot him again in the chest. As Price and Cst Horchuk continued to struggle on the ground, she placed her foot on Price's head and prepared to fire again, at which time he stopped struggling. (Source: Public Fatality Inquiry). Price's girlfriend, who was a witness to the event, told media that police shot Price when he was already "under control" and on the ground, although another witness claimed Price was standing when he was shot. He was treated on the scene by emergency medical services personnel and taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead. The incident was investigated by ASIRT and was the subject of a Public Fatality Inquiry, both of which found the officers acted appropriately in the situation. -
Edmonton police shoot and wound suicidal man armed with a pellet rifle
On the twenty-seventh of December 2015 just beforeat 3:52 AM a drunk fifty year old man called 911 informing the dispatcher that he was going to kill himself with a gun as well as that he wanted to commit suicide by cop. At 4:05 another man in the house told the dispatcher that the man had been drinking and that he only had a pellet rifle. Two police officers arrived shortly afterwards at the house at 149 Street near 85 Avenue in an unmarked police car with their sirens and lights blaring and the man walked outside pellet rifle in hand, threatening to shoot them. Taking cover behind their vehicle the two officers drew their weapons and demanded the man drop the gun or they would fire upon him. He disregarded their command and continued shouting at, and walking towards them whereupon the officers shot twice and hit the man in the leg a single time. The whole incident lasted about a minute. He was then taken to the hospital where he was treated for his wound. -
Multiple Edmonton Police shoot, kill man after traffic stop for outstanding warrants
On the twenty-sixth of December 2018 at 2:00 PM Buck Evans, his girlfriend Melissa Dumais and a friend were stopped in their truck by multiple police officers in at least four vehicles. Thirty-four year old Evans was wanted in connection with an ongoing investigation and had several warrants against him for other alleged crimes. Evans had been barred from owning a firearm since 2018 but was believed to be armed by the police and indeed was traveling with a SKS semi-automatic rifle at the time. After being stopped, the trio were ordered to exit the vehicle with Dumais and the other passenger complying but Evans in the back refusing. According to ASIRT after Evans refused to comply, he fired his weapon but according to Dumais Evans was not holding his rifle when she left with it being on the truck’s floor instead. Video filmed by a witness in a nearby apartment does not confirm if he did use his rifle. While blurry and taken from a distance, it shows about four police officers facing the truck demanding Evans exit it. One officer fires a shotgun and eight seconds later, after further demands for Evans to exit unleash a volley of gunfire. There is then a pause with further shots being fired with a total of about thirty being fired. Several bullets hit the neighbouring apartment buildings with at least one passing through into a bedroom. It is unclear whether Evans fired his weapon during this time and he was pronounced dead at the hospital. Evans' girlfriend believed the police response constituted use of excessive force. An ASIRT investigation is ongoing. -
Innocent man in nearby apartment dead after Edmonton police shoot and kill armed robbery suspect
Police were called to an armed robbery in the area of 1133 st and 104 ave at approximately 6:25pm. The 36-year-old man fled the liquor store and was found near 105 st and 107 ave at approximately 7:01pm. A confrontation occurred and police discharged their firearms, fatally wounding the man who was declared dead on the scene. A 59-year-old man in the basement suite behind the first victim was also hit by police fire, and was located some time after the shooting. Emergency first aid was provided and he was rushed to hospital by paramedics but died from his injuries. Later investigation of the scene determined that the 36-year-old victim had an imitation firearm. An ASIRT investigation has been opened, and the officers involved taken off active duty. The Archive team will update as this case progresses. -
Edmonton Police shoot and kill man
Edmonton police were called at 11:05 pm on June 6, 2021 regarding a weapons complaint outside of a residence. A witness reported seeing standing across the street from his house on the Scott Robertson school grounds holding a knife and another reported seeing a man hide behind a tree on his neighbours property. Two police officers confronted a man on arrival and an officer fired a weapon striking and killing the man, according to the first witness, these gunshots occurred around 11:15pm. The victim was declared dead on the scene by first responders ASIRT was reported to be investigating, but there are no known updates. -
Man fatally shot by EPS after 911 calls reported that he was carrying a gun
On September 18, 2020, Edmonton City Police were called with reports that a man was carrying a gun in the parking lot of a motel, and later a backyard of a nearby home near 118 Avenue and 69 Street. The man, 48-year-old Marty Powder, was found in the backyard of the house and the premise was surrounded by the police. He was shot multiple times by two officers after an altercation and was declared dead at the scene by EMS. A 12 gauge semi automatic shotgun with a single shell loaded was recovered from the scene and several shotgun shells were found in Powder's pockets. Powder's identity was released by his cousin, Amber Reid as well as several online posts. According to Powder's niece Shelly, it took weeks for his body to be released to his family. ASIRT was reported to be investigating, but no known updates are available. -
Man fatally shot by police during attempted robbery
Mike Bronaugh, also known as Mike Grisch, was fatally shot by two Edmonton Police Service officers responding to an armed robbery in progress call at the Canadian Western Bank at South Edmonton Common on December 11, 2012. Police were called around 2 p.m. to the Canadian Western Bank located at 21st Avenue and 99th Street where they found a man in his mid-twenties with a handgun. According to the evidence presented in the subsequent fatality inquiry, Mr. Bronaugh had made an appointment at the branch, but after sitting down with an employee, he demanded cash, then reached into his coat and "told her that she had twenty-eight seconds to produce the money, that he had a gun and would start shooting someone" (2016 Public Fatality Inquiry). The employee told Mr. Bronaugh it would take time to get the money and left to go to the bank's vault. The employee informed her coworkers and manager of the situation, and a supervisor placed a call to 911. When EPS arrived on scene, Mr. Bronaugh walked towards the bank entrance where two officers had entered with weapons drawn. According to an eyewitness and bank employees, Mr. Bronaugh drew a revolver only after the police entered the building. In the summary of evidence received by the fatality inquiry, one eyewitness (another customer in the bank) and the bank employees did not describe whether Mr. Bronaugh raised the gun; one responding police officer, Cst. McCracken, described Mr. Bronaugh as raising his gun toward the other customer and bank employees, while the other officer, A/Sgt Zielie, described Mr. Bronaugh bringing the gun up and appearing to point it at his own head, then turning to face the other people in the bank. Both officers described shouting at Mr. Bronaugh to drop the weapon, then firing their own guns - Cst. McCracken four shots from a rifle and A/Sgt Zielie two from a pistol, all of which struck Mr. Bronaugh. Mr. Bronaugh was taken to hospital and treated for his injuries, but died the following day with a medical cause of death "Multiple gunshot wounds". Although security camera footage from the incident was presented as evidence in the fatality inquiry, the report does not describe the footage or clarify the contradicting statements on where Mr. Bronaugh pointed the gun once the officers entered the bank. In a media interview with the Edmonton Sun, Mr. Bronaugh's mother stated she believed he was in the process of raising his hands above his head to surrender. Hospital records submitted to the inquiry for Mr. Bronaugh indicated he was receiving treatment for cancer and having seizures but did not indicate mental health concerns; in a media interview with CBC, Mr. Bronaugh's father stated that he was suffering depression and may have wanted the police to shoot him. In the fatality inquiry, A/Sgt Zielie stated that his decision to park his marked police cruiser in front of the bank window would not have been the appropriate practice had he known that Mr. Bronaugh was still inside the bank, which he believed "increased the danger to the people within the bank, decreased any tactical advantage the police had in responding" (2016 Public Fatality Inquiry). However, based on the testimony of both involved officers, an expert police witness from Calgary Police Service, and the statements made by the bank employees about their training on bank robberies, the inquiry concluded that it was extremely unusual that Mr. Bronaugh did not try to leave the bank quickly, and so no recommendations were made. -
Man shot during police confrontation following hit-and-run
Sterling Ross Cardinal was shot by police during an altercation in Northeast Edmonton. Cardinal was driving a stolen vehicle and was intercepted by police after being involved in a hit-and-run. According to ASIRT (the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team), two police officers approached the vehicle in the area of 66 Street and 123 Avenue and ordered Cardinal and the passenger to come out with their hands up. The passenger exited the vehicle and surrendered, but Cardinal stayed in the vehicle. The passenger later stated that Cardinal had a rifle in his lap. According to the ASIRT report, “This officer yelled ‘Gun, get back’ at the other officer, and commanded the man to drop the weapon. The man verbally refused, stating that he would not drop the gun, that officers would have to shoot him, and that he would shoot police,” (Edmonton Journal, June 5, 2020) before Cardinal fired one shot towards an officer. Police fired multiple shots in response, hitting Cardinal and killing him at the scene. Both Cardinal and his passenger were wanted on Canada-wide warrants for statutory release violations. A toxicology report from an autopsy showed he had alcohol, methamphetamine, cocaine and marijuana in his system. Cardinal was an Indigenous man from Calling Lake and a father of three, including a two-month-old baby boy. -
Man shot by police during arrest attempt
Matt Dumas was shot by Edmonton Police Service officers when trying to flee during an arrest attempt at Westmount Mall. Police attempted to box in Dumas, who was wanted on outstanding warrants related to drug trafficking, after tailing his vehicle to a parking lot at Westmount Mall. Three unmarked vehicles surrounded Dumas' parked car, which also had two female passengers, and turned on their emergency lights. Officers threw two flash-bang grenades towards the vehicle, and instructed the passengers to exit the vehicle with their hands up. Per the ASIRT report, all three individuals held up their hands for several seconds but did not exit the vehicle, before Dumas rammed the police vehicles to the rear and then the front of his car. Officers then threw 2 canisters of CS gas (tear gas) into the vehicle through the passenger window, and again pinned Dumas' car in place with their vehicles. As the officers began to attempt to remove the passengers, Dumas drew a handgun from a bag around his neck. Per the ASIRT report, one officer repeatedly told Dumas "don't do it", and another officer fired an ARWEN baton round (a "less-than-lethal" crowd control device that fires plastic rounds) that struck Dumas. Dumas then pointed his gun at one of the officers, at which point three officers opened fire on him. According to the ASIRT report (2020), the evidence is "unequivocal" that Dumas fired two rounds, which lodged in the dashboard of his vehicle; eyewitness reports suggest the police fired approximately 13 rounds. Dumas was struck multiple times and declared dead on the scene by a paramedic who accompanied the tactical response team. The two women in the car and officers were not injured. The coroner's report found traces of methamphetamine in his system, which the Executive Director of ASIRT, Susan Hughson, stated likely contributed to his "irrational decision" to attempt to flee and fire on the officers (Edmonton Journal, January 27, 2020). The ASIRT investigation concluded that the officers' use of force was justified; a Public Fatality Inquiry has yet to be scheduled as of November 2021. Friends of Dumas indicated that he had suffered increasing problems with drugs following the suicide of his twin brother in 2011. He was described as a "loving man" and one friend who spoke to media indicated he had young children.