A man who told police he wanted to die at their hands was shot and killed after raising a rifle toward officers outside his home on October 15, 2023.Now, a investigation by Alberta's police watchdog has cleared the officers involved.According to an Alberta Serious Incident Response Team investigation, the man, identified only as the AP, had been drinking and messaging a relative that he wanted police to shoot him, writing that he did not want to take his own life. "I wanna die," he said.He also posted messages on social media resembling a goodbye note. The day before the incident, his partner called police for a wellness check, citing the AP’s intoxication, access to a rifle, and prior suicidal statements.RCMP officers arrived at the residence and found the AP holding a bolt-action hunting rifle. .Despite repeated attempts to have him drop the weapon, the AP refused and told officers he would give them a reason to shoot him. He moved the rifle between his hands and at one point raised it toward officers. After about 16 minutes of negotiation, four officers fired at the AP in rapid succession. He was struck multiple times and later died in hospital.Investigators determined the rifle was unloaded and the AP had alcohol, cocaine, and THC in his system. Witness accounts and cell phone video confirmed the AP repeatedly challenged officers to shoot him while waving the rifle.The review concluded the officers’ use of force was proportionate, necessary, and reasonable under criminal law, citing that they were responding to a credible threat to their lives and those of residents nearby. Investigators found no grounds to believe the officers committed a criminal offence.The AP’s partner and relatives described him as depressed and said his actions were a cry for help, but the speed and intensity of the situation left police no opportunity to involve mental health professionals before the shooting occurred.
