RCMP officer was justified in fatally shooting man on Cold Lake First Nation: ASIRT

COLD LAKE, Alta. – An agency that investigates serious incidents involving police says an officer will face no charges in the deadly shooting of a man on an Alberta First Nation.

Alberta Serious Incident Response Team has released the results of its investigation into the fatal shooting on the Cold Lake First Nation in August 2013 and also said the shooting was justified.

ASIRT says Cold Lake RCMP had tried to arrest a 52-year-old man who had a significant criminal history in 2012 in Cold Lake, but he fled.

READ MORE: Man dies after officer-involved shooting in Cold Lake

Local RCMP officers say they were told by several residents of the First Nation, including the man’s family members, that he would not go back to prison and would kill himself or start a situation that would get him killed.

RCMP members encouraged the man’s family to turn himself in.

When police went to the home in 2013, ASIRT says the man pointed a large knife at one officer, who told him to drop it, and when he didn’t, the officer shot him twice.

“The affected person dropped the knife and turned to go towards the front entrance, making it a few steps, at which time he collapsed. The entire confrontation took seconds,” ASIRT said in a release Friday.

“At the time of the execution of the warrant, the officer was lawfully placed and the force used was reasonable in light of the circumstances presented, notwithstanding the tragic consequences of the loss of a life.”