An independent investigation has cleared two Edmonton Police Service (EPS) officers of wrongdoing after they fatally shot a man in Leduc in June 2024, concluding that the force used was legally justified.The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) said the officers were responding to a suicidal man who had rammed multiple RCMP vehicles at the Leduc detachment and was armed with what appeared to be a 9mm handgun. The man, identified in the report only as the affected person (AP), had repeatedly told family members and police negotiators that he wanted to provoke officers into shooting him, known as suicide by cop.ASIRT’s report said EPS tactical officers followed the man after he drove over tire-deflation devices and stopped his truck. Video footage and witness statements showed he exited the vehicle and raised a handgun-like object toward the approaching officers. Believing the weapon was real and posed a lethal threat, the two subject officers fired their carbines through the vehcile's windshield. .The man fell to the ground, and a police canine was used to drag him away from the firearm so that emergency medical services could safely intervene. He was pronounced dead shortly thereafter.An autopsy confirmed the man had received multiple gunshot wounds and also had high levels of alcohol and drugs in his system, including cocaine and prescription medications. Police later confirmed the object he had raised was a pellet gun resembling a real handgun.ASIRT concluded that under both s. 25 and s. 34 of the Criminal Code, the officers were justified in using deadly force. The report noted that police are not judged on perfection or hindsight but on whether their actions were reasonable given the immediate threat. The investigation found no evidence that the officers engaged in unlawful or unreasonable conduct.“After a thorough, independent, and objective investigation, it is my opinion that the officers were lawfully placed and acting properly in the execution of their duties,” ASIRT Acting Executive Director Matthew Block wrote. “While the death of AP is unfortunate, the force used by the officers was justifiable in the circumstances.”The report details extensive interviews with family members, tactical officers, and RCMP personnel, as well as review of helicopter footage, business security video, and negotiator phone calls, providing a comprehensive account of the events leading up to the shooting.
