By rdnewsNOW Staff

SUSPECT IN CUSTODY

ASIRT investigating Red Deer RCMP officer involved shooting

Sep 22, 2021 | 5:26 PM

A suspect is now in custody after suffering non-life threatening injuries following an officer-involved shooting in Red Deer Tuesday night.

On Sept. 21, at 6:08 p.m., Red Deer RCMP received a 911 call of a break and enter in progress by an individual known to the home owner, at a residence in the area of Maxwell Avenue in Red Deer.

Mounties say officers responded to the residence and located the male suspect. A confrontation then occurred between the suspect and officers, during which an officer discharged their service weapon, resulting in injury to the man.

A nearby neighbour claims to have heard two gun shots at this home along Maxwell Avenue in Red Deer Tuesday night. (rdnewsNOW/Jordan Davidson)

Following a search of the residence, officers located the male who was taken into custody. Police on scene are said to have provided first aid to the male until emergency medical services attended and he was taken to hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries. The male was treated and released from hospital and remains in Red Deer RCMP custody.

The neighbor, who wants to remain anonymous, says they have lived in the neighborhood for almost 15 years, and called what they saw last night as “mild” compared to events they’ve seen in the past. They said past incidents included more officers on site and the police helicopter circling the neighborhood.

The neighbor believes the house in question is a rental as they’ve seen multiple people move in and out over the years.

“I’ve suffered it, and now I’m getting to the point that I’m going to do some investigating where I can get information and do something about it. There’s got to be some law that can protect me from that. The last 14 years have just been hell and it’s not all the one tenant. It just goes on and on and on and on.”

“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,” reads a statement from Red Deer RCMP. “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,” the statement continues. “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.”