Alberta’s police watchdog has cleared a Calgary Police Service tactical officer who fatally shot a suspect during an attempted arrest outside a Vietnamese restaurant in October 2023, ruling the use of force was “proportionate, necessary, and reasonable.”The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) said its investigation found the officer acted lawfully when he opened fire on a man who had shot another officer during a high-risk arrest in the city’s Falconridge area.On October 18, 2023, members of CPS’s Tactical Unit were trying to arrest two men wanted for attempted murder and firearms offences. The suspects, considered armed and dangerous, were tracked to a strip mall where they were seen eating inside a stolen Acura. Officers decided to move in while the men were distracted.As police approached, one officer smashed the Acura’s window with a glass-breaking tool. Almost immediately, the man in the back seat opened fire, hitting the officer in the arm. .The second officer then returned fire, striking the gunman multiple times and ending the threat. The suspect, later identified as one of the wanted men, was pronounced dead in hospital.Investigators found two handguns in the vehicle’s back seat, one of them with its serial number removed. Witnesses confirmed seeing gunfire coming from inside the Acura before police returned fire.ASIRT’s report said the officer who fired acted to protect his wounded partner and other nearby officers. “Given that [the suspect] had possession of a firearm and was using it to shoot at police, it was reasonable for [the officer] to shoot,” the report stated.Acting Executive Director Matthew Block concluded the officer “was lawfully placed and acting properly in the execution of his duties,” and that no criminal offence was committed. The watchdog said the shooting met the legal standards for self-defence and lawful use of force under the Criminal Code.