Alberta’s police watchdog has cleared officers in the fatal shooting of a Fort McMurray man who injured his former partner and fired more than 50 rounds during a violent rampage last September.The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) determined the officers acted lawfully when they opened fire on a man identified only as AP, who had shot his ex-girlfriend in the arm, fired at her new boyfriend, and continued shooting throughout a residential neighbourhood for nearly 15 minutes before being confronted and killed by police.The incident unfolded on September 27, 2023, after AP’s former partner, CW1, arrived at their shared home on Beaconwood Place with a court order granting her possession of the property. She was accompanied by her boyfriend, CW2, and a neighbour, CW3, while a locksmith attempted to gain entry.AP arrived in a vehicle, armed with a shotgun, and immediately confronted the group. He kicked CW1 to the ground and discharged the weapon — either into the air or in their direction. He then chased the couple and shot CW1 in the arm with birdshot, causing additional injuries to her face and neck. They escaped to a neighbour’s home where bystanders administered first aid.Witnesses said AP continued firing the shotgun while walking through the neighbourhood and returning to his vehicle to reload. Investigators later recovered 55 spent shotgun casings at the scene.RCMP officers arrived as AP drove around the block before stopping near the original residence. One police vehicle, driven by Subject Officer #1 (SO1), pulled in front of AP’s vehicle with emergency lights flashing. AP paused for over three minutes while appearing to speak on the phone before reversing his vehicle. SO1 then rammed the front of AP’s car to disable it.As AP raised his shotgun and fired a round through the roof of his vehicle, SO1 responded by firing 14 shots through the windshield. Other officers also discharged their firearms. AP was pulled from the vehicle and officers attempted CPR, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.An autopsy confirmed the cause of death was multiple gunshot wounds.ASIRT concluded that the officers had reasonable grounds to believe AP posed a lethal threat and that their use of force was proportionate, necessary, and lawful. Under both sections 25 and 34 of the Criminal Code, officers are permitted to use force to protect themselves and others when faced with an imminent threat.“There is no evidence to support any belief that any officer engaged in any unlawful or unreasonable conduct that would give rise to an offence,” wrote ASIRT Executive Director Michael Ewenson, in a statement released July 22. “The force used by the subject officers was proportionate, necessary and reasonable in all the circumstances.”
