Man in critical condition with gunshot wound after standoff with police in Spruce Grove

EDMONTON — A man was taken into police custody Tuesday with a gunshot wound after a tense standoff with RCMP in Spruce Grove.

The incident started at around 2 p.m. after RCMP received a report of gunshots from inside a home in the Garneau Gate area, in the east end of the city.

A construction worker who was working on the house next door, which is still under construction, said bullets came through the wall of the home. He and a co-worker quickly called police.

When officers arrived they heard what they believed were more gunshots.

Officers asked area residents to remain in their basements.

“A potentially serious situation prompts that type of caution until we know what we’re dealing with,” RCMP Insp. Gibson Glavin said. “In this case, there was some serious nature to this.”

Matt Smallwood, who lives in the area, took out his garbage at around 3:30 p.m. As soon as he opened his garage door he saw several police officers. He was told to go back inside his house and stay there until further notice.

“There was quite a commotion outside,” Smallwood said.

“Stuff like this just doesn’t happen in a small town like this.”

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The Emergency Response Team was called out to help secure the area.

Two women came out of the home shortly after the area was secured and were taken away by police for their own protection, police said. The women weren’t injured.

RCMP found out a man was inside the home with two firearms.

The RCMP entered the home at about 6:20 p.m. and arrested the man after negotiating with him. The man was suffering from a gunshot wound when officers entered the home, but the RCMP didn’t fire any weapons, police said.

The man was taken to hospital in critical condition.