On August 30, 2020, at approximately 4:15 p.m., Alberta RCMP received a "be on the lookout" (BOLO) for a suspect wanted for an aggravated assault and believed to be in possession of a firearm that originated out of Onion Lake, Sask. A number of Alberta RCMP resources were deployed in an effort to locate this suspect within Alberta.
As a result of further investigation by Alberta RCMP, it was learned that the suspect's cell phone information indicated a possible location west of Edmonton. At approximately 8:30 p.m., the Alberta RCMP Emergency Response Team located the suspect vehicle heading westbound on Highway 16 and attempted a traffic stop; however, the suspect vehicle failed to stop for police and a pursuit was initiated.
While westbound near Entwistle, the deployment of a tire deflation device was successful. The suspect continued westbound until the vehicle came to a stop at Highway 16 near Range Road 73. An interaction occurred between RCMP members and the male suspect, who was the sole occupant of the vehicle, that led to officers firing their service firearms.
The RCMP Emergency Response Team Emergency Medic provided first aid to the male immediately following the incident before emergency medical services arrived on scene to take over; however, the male was injured fatally and died on scene. No RCMP members were injured during this incident.
The westbound lanes of Highway 16 near Range Road 73 remained closed to traffic until approximately 3:30 a.m. on August 31, 2020.
The Director of Law Enforcement has been notified and the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) has been directed to investigate the circumstances surrounding the officer involved shooting and the actions of police. The RCMP will continue to investigate the events leading up to the confrontation with police.
The Alberta RCMP will not be commenting further on this incident. All media inquiries about this incident should now be directed to ASIRT at 780-641-9099.