Calgary police chief Rick Hanson says public safety was at risk when officers made a split-second decision to shoot at a vehicle that struck two pedestrians.
“It was the best possible decision when confronted by a volatile situation,” Hanson told reporters Wednesday morning.
Hanson outlined the series of events that led to the shooting Tuesday afternoon.
He confirmed police were called about a suspicious vehicle in the 100 block of Crowfoot Way N.W., by the Bank of Montreal, at around 3:30 p.m.
Police suspected a person wanted on a Canada-wide warrant was in the SUV.
When the Ford Escape pulled into the parking lot of the bank, unmarked police vehicles boxed it in.
The woman driver got out of the SUV and went inside the bank.
When uniformed officers arrived and approached the vehicle, a man in the rear seat jumped into the driver’s seat and went into reverse, striking a police cruiser.
The SUV, still in reverse, then mounted the sidewalk, hitting two elderly pedestrians. One of the pedestrians, a woman, was then struck a second time.
At that point officers opened fire, wounding the driver, who is in hospital in critical condition.
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“Officers had to make a split second decision to make that situation safe again,” said Hanson. “The driver showed complete and utter disregard for the safety of anyone.”
“The officers did an incredible job,” Hanson added.
The chief says there is no indication the incident was the result of a bank robbery. He stressed the incident began as an almost-routine traffic stop, an incident that quickly escalated.
Hanson said police don’t know why the woman who was initially at the wheel of the SUV went into the bank, but he said there’s no reason to believe at this point that she had criminal intent.
The woman pedestrian who was hit, who is in her late 70s, remains in hospital in serious condition. The elderly man who was hit, also in his late 70s, suffered minor injuries.
The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) is investigating the shooting to determine if the officers were justified in their actions.
The officers directly involved are now on a 30-day administrative leave, which is standard procedure in these situations.
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