Alberta’s police watchdog has cleared two RCMP officers in a fatal shooting near Tofield, concluding their use of lethal force was justified after an armed suspect advanced toward officers and civilians during a tense rural standoff.In a decision released Wednesday, the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) found no reasonable grounds to believe any offence was committed in the December 23, 2024 incident, which ended with the death of a man following a roughly three-and-a-half-hour confrontation with police.According to ASIRT, RCMP officers initially attended a rural property near Tofield to arrest the man on outstanding warrants for assault with a weapon and uttering threats. The suspect, who was also linked to a prior arson at the Tofield detachment, answered the door armed with what appeared to be a handgun before retreating inside his trailer.Police disengaged and established containment, later deploying specialized units including the Emergency Response Team and Crisis Negotiation Team. During negotiations, the man repeatedly refused to surrender and claimed he was armed with explosives and a rifle loaded with armour-piercing ammunition.Investigators said officers observed what appeared to be a bulky vest under the man’s clothing and, at one point, a small object believed to be a possible detonator, lending credibility to his threats.After negotiations failed, officers deployed chemical agents to force the man out of the residence. He emerged armed with what appeared to be a handgun and a double-bladed sword, ignoring repeated commands to drop his weapons..Police then used less-lethal rounds, which had little effect. The man moved off the porch and began heading toward an area where officers and civilians were present, raising what ASIRT described as an imminent threat.At that point, two RCMP snipers fired nearly simultaneously, striking the man. He fell to the ground and was later pronounced dead at the scene despite life-saving efforts.An autopsy determined the cause of death was a single gunshot wound. Investigators were unable to determine which officer fired the fatal shot.ASIRT later determined the handgun was a pellet gun and that no explosives were present. The man had strapped a bag of white material to his torso to simulate an explosive device.Despite that, the watchdog concluded officers acted reasonably based on the information available at the time.“The potential harm posed by the [man] was substantial,” ASIRT said in its report, noting he could have used the apparent firearm, the sword, or detonated what officers believed to be explosives..The report found the officers’ actions were proportionate and necessary under the circumstances, particularly as the suspect moved toward others while armed.ASIRT emphasized that officers are not required to be correct in their assessment of a threat, only that their actions be reasonable based on what they believed at the time.“Their respective uses of force were reasonable, proportionate, and necessary,” the report concluded.As a result, no charges will be laid against either officer.
