An investigation by the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) into the 2011 death of a vehicle theft suspect has determined the officer’s actions were justified.
On August 11, 2011, a member of the Calgary Police Service attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a suspicious vehicle. The driver failed to stop the pick-up truck and a lengthy pursuit ensued through northwest and northeast neighbourhoods.
Two passengers from the suspect vehicle were dropped off in the northeast community of Whitehorn, including Jonathan Rawlings, a 36-year-old man with a history of drug and weapon related charges.
Officers pursued the two passengers on foot. A lone, uniformed CPS veteran chased Rawlings, which ended with the officer firing four rounds from his pistol at the suspect. All four shots struck Rawlings, and the 36-year-old died as a result of the injuries he sustained from the gunshots.
The ASIRT investigation determined Rawlings had confronted the officer in the backyard of a Whitehorn home and the suspect was brandishing a screwdriver as a weapon.
“By reviewing the full investigative file and taking into consideration the opinion of Crown Counsel, I am satisfied the officer involved in this incident was justified in using lethal force during the course of the arrest,” says Clifton Purvis, ASIRT Executive Director. “On behalf of ASIRT, I extend sympathies to the family and friends of this affected person.”
