The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) says a man who was shot by RCMP in central Alberta Thursday was found “sleeping or passed out” in a stolen car prior to a confrontation with officers.
A release from Bashaw RCMP sent last week said officers found a stolen vehicle parked in the rural area of Range Road 234 near Highway 11 at about 9:15 a.m.
ASIRT said Monday RCMP were responding to a complaint of a passed-out driver on the side of a range road between Stettler and Red Deer at that time. It said three officers responded and a 33-year-old man appeared to be sleeping or unconscious in the driver’s seat.
“As two officers approached the driver’s side of the vehicle to address the man and remove him from the vehicle, a struggle ensued and the man put the stolen vehicle in reverse, striking one of the officers with the driver’s door,” ASIRT said in a statement, noting the officer who was struck was not seriously injured.
“The reversing vehicle rammed an unoccupied RCMP vehicle parked behind it with enough force to send the cruiser into the ditch and causing it to roll.”
ASIRT said two of the officers fired their service weapons, fatally injuring the man.
ASIRT said it has found a video recording of the incident, which was not provided to Global News.
The man’s family has been notified, according to the statement.
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