Alberta’s police watchdog is investigating after two Edmonton police officers fatally shot a 57-year-old man who allegedly advanced toward them with scissors following a lengthy standoff at a west Edmonton hotel.The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) said the shooting occurred Aug. 24 at the Hilton Garden Inn after Edmonton Police Service officers responded to a report of a man with a gun.Police arrived at the hotel at about 7:30 p.m., where bystanders and staff reported a man was behaving erratically on the second floor.Officers located a man in a second-floor hallway holding a pair of scissors, according to ASIRT. The agency said the man repeatedly told police to kill him.Officers attempted to negotiate with the man for approximately 30 minutes while hotel guests were told to shelter in place.ASIRT said the man repeatedly refused police commands to drop the scissors.Police eventually deployed a conducted energy weapon and fired less-lethal rounds in an attempt to get the man to surrender, but neither tactic was successful.The man later dropped the scissors and negotiations continued. However, ASIRT said he picked them up again and advanced toward the officers.Shortly after 8 p.m., two officers discharged their firearms, striking the man.Police immediately provided first aid until paramedics arrived, but the 57-year-old man died at the scene.ASIRT cautioned that its account reflects information available to investigators at an early stage of the investigation.“The investigation remains ongoing, and no further information is available at this time,” the agency said.ASIRT operates as part of Alberta’s Police Review Commission, an independent civilian-led agency responsible for investigating potential criminal offences involving police, including incidents in which an officer’s actions may have caused serious injury or death.
