EDMONTON – A 58-year-old former Haliburton employee was arrested and a handgun and assault-style rifle seized, after a shooting and standoff at the oilfield services’ facility in an industrial area near Grande Prairie in northwestern Alberta.
Around 7:50 p.m. on Tuesday night, all available police resources rushed to the Haliburton facility in Clairmont, about 10 kilometres north of Grande Prairie, where a man reportedly showed up and was shooting a rifle.
Police weren’t sure exactly who they were dealing with or where on the site he was, so a containment area was set up. Emergency Response Teams were called to help, several local businesses were locked down and traffic blocked from entering the area.
About three-and-a-half hours later a Haliburton employee approached a police road block outside the scene, saying he was speaking to the man on a cell phone. RCMP took over the call and were able to convince the suspect to come out. He left the building surrendered peacefully to police around 11:45 p.m.
Two employees who barricaded themselves inside the facility were escorted out a short time later. They never came into contact with the gunman, and police said it didn’t appear he knew anyone was in the building. No one was hurt during the incident, and police did not fire their weapons.
The man was taken to Grande Prairie, where a bail hearing will take place on Wednesday. He is facing several firearms-related charges. The man’s name will be released once formal charges are sworn.
As a result of the investigation, the hand gun and assault-style rifle were seized. While investigating the scene afterwards, police found damage consistent with being hit with gun fire, including broken windows and a broken water line.
Officers said they were particularly grateful to the public for remaining at a safe distance during the situation, and for their words and messages of encouragement shared by the RCMP that the event ended peacefully.
Grande Prairie is about 450 kilometres northwest of Edmonton.
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