A man shot by police on Tuesday is still fighting for his life in hospital.
He was reported to police because he had been sitting in his truck in the 2800 block of 12th Avenue SE for several hours.
Police now confirm he was sleeping at the time.
Witnesses say when officers asked the man to exit the vehicle, he took off and tried to run them over.
They fired at the truck, which ended up smashing into a home.
The family of Matthew Brown is at Foothills hospital, where the 23-year-old remains in critical, life-threatening condition.
Brown’s family says he requires a breathing tube and hasn’t been able to talk yet; he still has a bullet lodged in his neck.
The family recognizes he is no angel; he recently got out of jail after being convicted of robbery with a firearm.
But in this case, they say he had pulled over to sleep after being up late the night before and they question the need to shoot him.
“Do they just shoot somebody because they think they are up to something? Or is it a crime to pull over and sleep in a neighbourhood for four or five hours,” ask Brown’s parents, Linden and Donna.
The shooting itself and whether or not it was justified is now being looked at by the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team.
Calgary’s police chief is defending his officers’ actions.
“I can safely say the response from the person they approached was such that the members felt their lives, at least one, was put at risk,” said Rick Hanson.
WATCH: Calgary Police Chief Rick Hanson joins Global Calgary to discus the officer-involved shooting in Albert Park/Radisson Heights.
ASIRT did not comment on the case Wednesday.
The officer who fired his weapon has been with the Calgary Police Service for 18 months.
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