ASIRT investigates after driver shot and killed by police in southwest Edmonton

A suspect was shot and killed by an Edmonton Police Service officer in southwest Edmonton’s Hodgson neighbourhood on Thursday afternoon. According to police, an officer was responding to reports of a possibly impaired driver.

“There were two separate 911 calls from citizens indicating that the driver of the vehicle was swerving all over the road and and possibly impaired,” Deputy Chief Kevin Brezinski said at a news conference Thursday afternoon. “A police officer was directed to investigate these complaints.”

Brezinski said at around 1:45 p.m., a six-year veteran of the police force pulled the vehicle over near Hollands Landing. At that point, police said both the officer and the driver being pulled over got out of their vehicles.

He said an “encounter” occurred which led to the officer shooting the driver. Police said the driver was a male but did not say whether he was an adult.

EMS was called to the scene and life-saving measures were taken but the suspect was pronounced dead at the scene.

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Brezinski said the officer involved most recently completed his gun qualifications and training in April 2016.

“As per Edmonton Police Service policy, the officer has now been placed on administrative leave and will receive support,” he said. “We know little about the victim at this time but we do believe he has a family in Edmonton.”

“We are currently in the process of identifying and reaching out to family members to offer our thoughts and condolences on these tragic circumstances.”

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Area residents Global News spoke with described the Hodgson neighbourhood as a safe community where people know their neighbours.

“It’s a very quiet neighbourhood – very boring – we pretty well know everybody so it is kind of weird that this happened so close,” Paul Plakas said. “You always hear it happening in other parts of the city.”

Despite the shooting, Plakas suggested he didn’t feel any less safe after Thursday’s shooting.

“Since we never really heard anything or felt any immediate danger, it’s like, ‘whatever.'”

However, Tanya Govender said news of the shooting concerned her.

“It’s scary. If it was a warmer day, my son might have been outside playing in the middle of the afternoon… You’re not expecting this at all, not in your own neighbourhood.”

The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) was called in to investigate the shooting Thursday afternoon.

The police watchdog tweeted shortly before 3 p.m. to confirm it is investigating the shooting, however, it declined to provide further information.

ASIRT investigates incidents involving Alberta law enforcement officers that result in injury or death as well as “serious or sensitive allegations of police misconduct.”