Alberta’s police watchdog is investigating what led to a man being shot by a police officer on a CTrain at the Sirocco LRT station in Calgary on Wednesday.
In a news release, police said a transit employee reported a man was on the train with a gun in his lap.
A number of police officers were seen at the southwest station throughout the afternoon, some with guns drawn, some in full tactical gear, and what sounds like two shots can be heard in audio from a Global News team on the scene.
Officers were able to locate the suspect in one of the train cars after all other passengers were evacuated to safety.
After tactical officers worked for several hours to resolve the situation safely, the “situation escalated” at about 4:30 p.m., police said, and an officer shot the suspect.
The injured man was treated at the scene before being taken to hospital in serious condition.
Train traffic was halted at the Sirocco LRT station at about 1:40 p.m. when the call first came in, and a large perimeter was set up around the station.
At 5:45 p.m., police tweeted that an officer-involved shooting happened at the station, but did not say whether anyone was injured or killed.
“No bystanders or officers injured,” police tweeted.
The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team also tweeted Wednesday evening that it had been directed to investigate the shooting.
“The injuries sustained are presently unknown,” ASIRT said at 5:20 p.m.
As of 6 p.m., police said there was nothing to suggest the situation at the LRT station was connected to the targeted shooting of a man and his dog in the community of Crestmont at about 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
On Thursday, CPS Chief Mark Neufeld expressed his pride in officers’ actions to keep members of the public safe in a dangerous situation.
“District 2 members did an outstanding job of evacuating the train, car by car, as well as the surrounding area,” Neufeld said.
The police chief said officers never want to have to resort to using their firearms, but in this case “the man did not comply with the officer’s directions. The situation escalated and sadly a member of the tactical unit was forced to deploy their weapon.”
Neufeld said he hopes the man recovers fully.
He added that in the “vast majority of cases,” officers are able to negotiate the safe surrender of individuals, avoiding the use of firearms.
The Sirocco station call was one of 81 that CPS received between 1 and 2 p.m. on Wednesday.