On Dec. 13, 2022, at approximately 2 p.m., RCMP officers were in Saddle Lake, Alta., conducting a follow-up investigation in relation to a stolen vehicle. This vehicle was alleged to have been driven by a male who had outstanding warrants and was likely in possession of firearms.
Officers located the vehicle; however, the suspect collided with a police vehicle. During this incident, a single carbine round was discharged by an officer. The suspect was taken into custody, and a loaded shotgun was recovered from the suspect vehicle.
No one was injured in this incident.
The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) has taken over carriage of the investigation into the circumstances of the officer involved shooting.
The Alberta 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.
Independent of ASIRT's investigation, the Alberta 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 Alberta 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.