An investigation continues after a Calgary police officer shot a man in a southeast neighbourhood — and witnesses are recalling how the situation unfolded.
“I came home last night, sat down and heard five gunshots,” said Fred Smith who was arriving home from work at the time of the incident. “Then I came outside and there were police everywhere.”
By Saturday afternoon all that remained of the scene was police tape and a blood-stained road on 35 Street S.E. in Radisson Heights.
Police were called to the 1500 block at around 10 p.m. Friday after they received reports from residents of a man carrying weapons and acting erratically.
Marie Ball was on her back deck when she heard yelling out in front of her home as police encountered the man.
“Being a nosey neighbour, I took a look around the corner and then I saw the police standing, or somebody standing over (in the street) and he had his hands out,” said Ball.
“Then I saw the flare from the gun and then I heard a couple more (shots) and I hit the floor in the house,” she added.
In a release on Saturday morning, police said the situation had “rapidly changing dynamics” which they say led to an officer “discharging their service weapon.”
Renald Lemerre said he was watching TV when he heard the five shots from his basement window, and when he looked outside, he saw officers surrounding a man by his neighbour’s pickup truck.
“The guy was not dead, because when I saw the handcuff put on by the cop, I heard the guy,” said Lemerre as he mimicked the grunting sounds he heard from the man as he rolled onto his stomach, “and I was like, ‘ok, it’s probably just a Taser or shot in the air.’”
While it’s not yet known how many times the man was shot, police have confirmed that officers gave the man first aid before he was taken to hospital by EMS in critical but stable condition.
Investigators remained on scene throughout Saturday, including Alberta’s police watchdog and the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT).