A man was sent to hospital in serious condition after being shot by Edmonton police on the north end of the city Saturday morning.
Police said officers, including members of the Edmonton Police Service tactical unit, were called to the area of 125 Street and 147 Avenue at around 4:50 a.m., after receiving a report of a suicidal man with a firearm inside a home, where a child was also present.
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Police said it was reported that an intoxicated 36-year-old man was exhibiting unpredictable behaviour and making threats of self-harm, while in possession of a firearm.
Police managed to get the child out of the home safely with the help of a neighbour after securing the area, police said.
A police negotiator was called to the scene to speak with the man in an attempt to encourage him to surrender peacefully, according to police.
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The man came out of the home with the firearm and an “edged weapon” during the negotiation before going back inside the home, police said.
According to police, after continued negotiation attempts, the man came out of the home again at around 7:20 a.m., when a confrontation happened with police.
According to Alberta’s police watchdog, a “non-lethal distraction device” was used during that confrontation.
As the confrontation continued, two members of the EPS tactical unit fired their guns, striking the man several times, the Alberta Serious
Incident Response Team said in a news release on Monday.
The man was seriously injured, ASIRT said, and paramedics treated the man at the scene and took him to hospital.
The man was still in hospital and reportedly in stable condition on Monday.
Police said no one else was hurt in the incident.
A knife and a 9-mm Glock handgun were recovered from the scene of the shooting, ASIRT said.
ASIRT has now taken over the investigation and will examine the confrontation between the man and police. EPS will maintain control of the investigation into the conduct of the man and his actions.
– With files from Kirby Bourne, 630 CHED