Suspect refused to drop knife, closed the distance between himself and officers despite repeated orders to stop moving
Alberta’s police watchdog cleared a police officer of any wrongdoing in the shooting of a robbery suspect who also threatened the officer and her colleagues with a knife.
Someone in the store dialled 911, which led two Calgary police officers to arrive at the scene. The investigation by the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team stated that the officers, who had activated their body cameras, were told the suspect was in a nearby park and had a knife.
When the officers approached the male suspect, he stood up holding the knife, after which he was told he was under arrest for his offences at the liquor store. The suspect refused to drop his weapon and closed the distance between himself and the officers despite repeated orders to stop moving.
Even as two more officers arrived at the scene, the man kept inching closer while the officers moved farther away. Then, one officer fired two shots, one of which tore through the suspect’s leg. The man was then arrested and given medical attention.
Later, in an interview with ASIRT investigators, the suspect admitted that he had intended to be killed by the police officers, adding he had planned to keep walking towards the them until they fired their guns.
The investigation found that the officers were justified in shooting the suspect since he had not only disregarded lawful orders from the officers but also moved closer with a lethal weapon.
The officer who shot the man was “entitled to defend herself and her partner,” the report stated.
That both officers, who initially approached the suspect, “were aware of the presence of civilians and took the safety of those civilians into account while dealing with a lethal encounter deserves mention.”