CALGARY – The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) is investigating an officer-involved shooting at a hotel on Monday that left one man dead.
Police were called to a Super 8 hotel in the 3000 block of Barlow Trail N.E. around 3 p.m. for a check on welfare.
Sources tell Global News the call was made due to an unpaid bill.
ASIRT confirms a man was supposed to have checked out Monday morning, which was one of the factors that prompted the welfare check.
Officers went to the suspect’s hotel room with a key provided by hotel staff. However, when they attempted to enter the room, they discovered the suspect had used the security chain to lock the door and stop them from getting inside.
Police spoke with the suspect, who they say appeared agitated and to be in some kind of medical distress, prompting them to forcibly enter the room.
Once inside, sources say officers found a man with drug paraphernalia, including drugs and syringes.
Sources tell Global News the man confronted police with a needle in what they believed was a threatening manner.
ASIRT confirms a confrontation of some kind occurred, which escalated to a “high risk situation.”
“Police used a Conducted Energy Weapon (CEW), commonly known to as a Taser, which had little impact,” said ASIRT in a news release. “A police service weapon was then discharged striking the male.”
The 27-year-old man was pronounced dead on scene.
In an afternoon press conference, ASIRT Executive Director Susan Hughson declined to provide details on how many shots were fired, how many officers were in the room or “what led to the Taser not incapacitating this person.”
“I am not going to discuss what was seen by the officers and what concerns they had,” she said. “The crux of our investigation is going to focus on what happened and why they needed to gain entry, and what occurred in that hotel room.”
ASIRT says the identity of the man is being withheld as family members are notified; Hughson said they believe he is from Calgary.
No officers were injured.
One hotel guest says he heard what he believed to be multiple shots being fired.
“I got on my bed and started looking through some emails and stuff and then I heard five pops,” said Trevor Decoste. “I know what gunshots sound like; I have guns.”
ASIRT’s investigation will focus on the circumstances surrounding the confrontation that resulted in the shooting of the individual.
With files from Phil Heidenreich, Nancy Hixt and Tracy Nagai
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