Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police
On Dec. 20, at approximately 11 a.m., Grande Prairie RCMP responded to a domestic dispute in progress in a north west community of Grande Prairie. A 42-year-old man held a woman in her residence at gun point. The man had previously assaulted the woman causing injury. The man had also discharged his firearm inside the residence.
RCMP officers arrived and contained the area. Officers gained entry to the residence where an interaction took place between officers and the man with the firearm. During the interaction police were able to extract the female and bring her to safety.
Police exited from the residence and kept the area contained awaiting supports from the Emergency Response Team. The male subsequently discharged a firearm resulting in officers discharging their firearms, shooting the male.
Officers provided first aid before paramedics took over. The man was transported to an area hospital to receive additional medical care. The injured female victim was taken to a local hospital and has since been released. No officers or members of the public were injured.
There is no longer a hold and secure in place around the community nor a concern for public safety at this time.
The RCMP believes in processes that seek the facts and it’s important that processes taken to assess the actions of all those involved, including the police, are fair, transparent, and defendable. This is why, as soon as we became aware of this incident, we immediately notified the Director of Law Enforcement and initiated our internal review process. The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) has been directed to investigate the circumstances surrounding the actions of the police during this investigation.
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, of course, fully cooperating with ASIRT. All media inquiries about this incident should now be directed to ASIRT at 780-641-9099.