On Aug. 14, 2021, at approximately 12:21 a.m., Rocky Mountain House RCMP members responded to an allegedly armed male with a hostage in a rural area, approximately 10 km west of Sunchild and O'Chiese First Nation, Alta.
As a result, RCMP conducted a search of the area for a male suspect, who was believed to be from the Edmonton area. Rocky Mountain House RCMP members, Alberta RCMP Emergency Response Team and Police Dog Service, proceeded to attempt to locate the suspect.
While attempting to locate the suspect, RCMP were advised by Edmonton Police Service (EPS), that thismale was also a suspect in a suspicious death which had recently occurred at 93 Street and 111 Avenue in Edmonton, Alta. RCMP and EPS continue to work in partnership in this investigation.
After the suspect was located, a confrontation occurred between the RCMP officers and the suspect which resulted in an officer discharging their service weapon. The suspect sustained life-threatening injuries as a result. On-scene officers provided medical assistance, however, the male succumbed to his injuries.
Our thoughts are with the family of the deceased and all those affected by this event.
No officers sustained injuries.
The RCMP believes in processes that seek the facts and it's important that processes taken to assess the actions of all those involved, including the police, are fair, transparent, and defendable. This is why, as soon as we became aware of this incident, we immediately notified the Director of Law Enforcement and initiated our internal review process. The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) has been
directed to investigate the circumstances surrounding the actions of the police during this investigation.
Independent of ASIRT's investigation, the RCMP's internal review process has been implemented to gather a full account of what took place during this incident. RCMP training, policy, police response, and the duty status of the members involved will be subject to review. The RCMP is, of course, fully cooperating with ASIRT and will not be commenting further on this incident. All media inquiries about this incident should now be directed to ASIRT at 780-641-9099.