Woman’s death after falling from balcony during police raid ruled accidental: ASIRT

The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) has concluded that the death of a woman who fell from a balcony during a Calgary police raid two years ago was accidental.

Police said they were on a “high-risk” drug and firearms warrant to search a fifth-floor Eau Claire apartment in the 200 block of 1 Street S.E. after 12:30 a.m. on June 17, 2019.

According to ASIRT’s report, the woman and her boyfriend were known to police because they were suspects in a non-fatal shooting of a female outside a Calgary hostel a month prior. The woman also had “numerous dealings” with law enforcement in the past, ASIRT said.

This prompted Calgary police to call in the tactical unit to help execute an arrest warrant for the boyfriend and a Controlled Drugs and Substances Act warrant for the apartment.

Officers arrested the boyfriend after he left the building on foot at approximately 12:27 a.m. The woman, who is called an ‘affected person’ in ASIRT’s report, was still inside the suite.

ASIRT said officers surrounded the residence and attempted to encourage the woman to surrender voluntarily, but the woman did not acknowledge the police’s presence.

A tactical officer said she threw a loaded 9mm Glock handgun over the railing of the balcony. It landed on the second-floor balcony.

At approximately 1:07 a.m., the woman walked out of the balcony again. Officers said the woman climbed over the balcony railing in an attempt to scale down to the balcony below, but she fell five floors and landed on a dumpster below.

It is unclear if she intentionally jumped or lost her grip, ASIRT said in its report. EMS was called and the woman was transported to the hospital where she died from her injuries.

An autopsy determined the cause of death was due to blunt force traumatic injuries and the manner of death has been ruled accidental.

ASIRT said two witnesses outside the apartment complex at the time said they saw the woman fall from the balcony into the dumpster.

“While the death of the affected person is tragic, there are no reasonable grounds, nor reasonable suspicion, to believe that any of the officers on scene committed an offence(s).”