ASIRT clears RCMP officer after man dies following Taser arrest at River Cree Resort

CALGARY — Alberta’s police watchdog has cleared an RCMP officer who used a Taser on a man experiencing a mental health crisis shortly before he died at the River Cree Resort and Casino.The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) concluded the officer’s use of force during the June 24, 2025, arrest on Enoch Cree Nation was justified and did not contribute to the man’s death.An autopsy determined the man died from cardiorespiratory arrest caused by hyperactive delirium with agitation and the effects of cocaine.The pathologist specifically examined the officer’s use of the conducted energy weapon, commonly known as a Taser, as well as the way police restrained and handcuffed the man. Neither was found to have contributed to his death.Police were called after the man made two distressed phone calls to his spouse at approximately 7:06 p.m. and 7:17 p.m. His spouse believed he was experiencing a mental health crisis and contacted the RCMP because she was not nearby.At around the same time, resort employees and guests reported hearing the man screaming and breaking glass inside a third-floor hotel room.Guests staying in the suite below reported seeing blood-covered furniture and broken glass falling onto the terrace outside their balcony.Two Parkland RCMP officers arrived and heard the man repeatedly calling for help from inside the room. Although officers unlocked the hotel-room door, an interior latch prevented them from entering.One officer went onto the roof and saw the man sitting on the ledge of the room’s shattered window. The officer told colleagues it appeared the man was preparing to jump.According to ASIRT, the officer approached with his hands raised and attempted to speak with the man, who was holding an ironing board and what appeared to be a large shard of glass.The man then jumped from the third-floor ledge onto a terrace outside a second-floor room. He immediately stood and began smashing the window of that room with the glass, the ironing board and other objects..ASIRT investigating Calgary police shooting after man allegedly approached officers with bow and arrow .From a raised section of the roof approximately 10 to 15 feet away, the officer repeatedly told the man to stop and warned him that he would be shocked if he continued.The officer fired his Taser, but the first cartridge did not make contact. A second cartridge struck the man and appeared to interrupt his actions. The officer cycled the weapon three times before the man fell to the ground.Another officer broke through the remaining window from inside the second-floor room and joined the first officer on the terrace.Body-camera footage showed officers taking hold of the man at 7:46 p.m. He struggled and attempted to keep hold of the ironing board before officers handcuffed him with his hands behind his back.The man then stopped screaming and remained relatively motionless.Officers determined he was unresponsive approximately five minutes later. They rolled him over, administered naloxone, moved his handcuffs to the front and began CPR.Paramedics arrived at 7:53 p.m. and continued life-saving efforts before transporting him to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.ASIRT reviewed body-camera footage from five officers, resort security video, cellphone footage, 911 recordings, police communications, Taser data, hotel door records, scene photographs and RCMP policies. Investigators also obtained interviews involving 19 civilian witnesses and four witness officers.ASIRT Executive Director Matthew Block found the officer initially attempted to speak with the man and offer assistance while remaining cautious because the man was holding a large piece of glass.Block concluded the Taser became necessary when the man jumped onto the lower terrace and tried to break into another occupied hotel room.“The SO’s use of force was justified in the circumstances and played no part in the AP’s unfortunate death,” the decision states.

ASIRT clears RCMP officer after man dies following Taser arrest at River Cree Resort

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