The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) has cleared officers involved in the shooting death of Brian Kyle Schriver in Blairmore, Alta.
On February 11, 2020, Schriver was shot to death by police after, according to the involved officers, he tried to run them over with a truck.
For much of the incident, including the truck driving reportedly directly toward the officers and the first shots fired by police, the only available evidence is from the involved officers’ testimony.
During the incident, after the officers had started shooting, the truck and involved officers entered the view of the CCTV cameras at Home Hardware. That CCTV footage shows the truck reversing into view and stopping before proceeding forward. The officers are shown approaching the truck by foot and standing with their guns pointed.
The ASIRT report said that the actions of the police officers were reasonable and justified. It said that the officers had a duty to conduct a traffic stop on Schriver, a man known to be in possession of firearms and disregard for police.
Despite the lack of evidence from a non-biased third party confirming that Schriver put the two officers’ lives in danger before they shot him, the ASIRT report said the officers are not believed to have committed a criminal offence.
According to ASIRT, the incident started when an off-duty officer recognized the vehicle of interest, which had been posted in a bulletin with photos of Schriver. He was identified as a suspect in a series of break-and-enters in the Crowsnest Pass area.
The report said Schriver had a violent criminal record, outstanding warrants in other provinces and a history of running from the police.
The officer who recognized him called the Crowsnest Pass detachment to request an on-duty officer check it out. The two involved officers then drove to the Home Hardware in Blairmore.
According to the ASIRT report, the officers pulled their marked police SUV behind the truck, got out and pulled their guns while staying behind the open doors for protection. They could see Schriver in the side mirror of the truck and told him multiple times to get out of the truck as he was under arrest.
He didn’t, and put the truck in reverse, according to the officers’ testimony. The first officer said the second officer was in the direct path of the car and was in danger of being killed or seriously injured, so he started shooting at Schriver.
The second officer also started shooting as Schriver continued to reverse the truck in a circle around the SUV, according to ASIRT. The second officer said he started shooting because he thought Schriver was going to get away.
Schriver then drove the truck out of the parking lot and into an adjacent field. The officers went over to the truck and saw that the wanted man who appeared to be dead. They performed CPR until EMS arrived. An autopsy found he died of eight gunshot wounds to the back of his body.
The decision can be read in it’s entirety on ASIRT’s website.