Alberta’s police watchdog has cleared four RCMP officers who shot and wounded a man armed with a realistic-looking BB gun outside the Strathcona County detachment in Sherwood Park this summer.The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) said its investigation found the officers’ actions were “reasonable, necessary, and proportionate” after the man pointed what appeared to be a real handgun at police on July 28.According to ASIRT’s report, the incident began around 10:30 a.m. when an officer noticed a suspicious vehicle parked in the secure lot behind the detachment. The officer saw a man standing near the vehicle holding a gun and immediately alerted others inside.Several RCMP members responded, including one officer in an unmarked SUV who confronted the suspect. .Video evidence showed the man walking toward the officer, then pulling out a handgun and raising it toward him. Within seconds, four officers opened fire, striking the man multiple times.The man fell to the ground and was quickly disarmed and handcuffed. The gun was later found to be a BB pistol that closely resembled a real firearm.As officers rendered first aid, the wounded man reportedly told them, “you were supposed to kill me.” Two suicide notes were found on him, one apologizing to the officers and acknowledging the trauma the incident could cause.The man survived his injuries and later told investigators he had planned to die by police gunfire..ASIRT Acting Executive Director Matthew Block concluded that the officers’ use of deadly force was justified under the Criminal Code, saying they had every reason to believe their lives were in danger. “The subject officers were entitled to view the BB gun as a real gun and respond to it as they would a real gun,” Block wrote.The watchdog noted that while police are trained for dangerous situations, incidents like this can have lasting psychological impacts. “Detachment offices are places where police officers should be able to feel secure,” Block said, adding that the man’s actions likely caused lasting trauma for those involved.ASIRT determined there were no reasonable grounds to believe any of the officers committed an offence.
