An Alberta watchdog has ruled Edmonton police acted reasonably when officers shot and killed a man who pointed what appeared to be a handgun at them during a late-night standoff outside a hotel on Gateway Blvd. The man was later found to be carrying a Glock-style air pistol.According to the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT), tactical officers confronted the suspect on July 27, 2021, after 911 callers reported he had slashed tires in a hotel parking lot, threatened guests, and was seen with a gun. When ordered to stop, he ran from officers, pulled a weapon from his waistband, and eventually turned back to point it at police..Three tactical officers opened fire in rapid succession, striking him multiple times. Emergency crews declared him dead at the scene. An autopsy found he was shot 18 times and had methamphetamine, cocaine, and cannabis in his system.Investigators recovered the air pistol with a flashlight attachment near his body, along with CO2 cartridges and a bottle of Fireball whiskey. Civilian witnesses confirmed the suspect had been acting erratically and threatening hotel guests before police arrived.ASIRT concluded officers had reasonable grounds to believe their lives and the lives of others were in danger. “Their uses of force were proportionate, necessary, and reasonable,” the agency ruled, adding no charges will be laid.
