Calgary officer cleared in shooting of stolen vehicle heading toward military parade

The driver of the vehicle, a 22-year-old male, and his passenger, a 28-year-old female, were both sent to hospital after crashing into another vehicle at the scene.

Alberta's police watchdog has cleared a Calgary officer of any wrongdoing in the shooting of two people driving toward a military parade in the downtown core back in 2019.

The victims, a 21-year-old man and a 28-year-old woman, were shot during a confrontation with police that began just before 3 p.m. on Oct. 19.

According to a report from the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT), released on Thursday, a member of the Calgary Police Service's mounted bike unit had stopped traffic in the intersection of Eighth Avenue and Sixth Street S.W. to allow the parade to continue heading west along Eighth Avenue toward the Mewata Armoury.

A black Toyota Corolla, later determined to be stolen, was heading north on Sixth Street and stopped at the rolling blockade, but then turned right and began travelling down Eighth Avenue, accelerating toward the military parade.

At the time, about 70 people were participating in the parade, which was just 100 metres away from the stolen vehicle.

The vehicle travelled a short distance before it looked like it the driver was trying to turn around, then the vehicle went over a cement divider, through a bike lane and onto the sidewalk before hitting a wall.

ASIRT indicated that officers following the stolen vehicle "repeatedly" yelled at the man driving it to stop.

The driver then started backing up, at which time officers pointed their firearms at the vehicle, but the stolen Corolla moved forward and came very close to hitting one of them.

As the driver continued on without stopping, one officer fired three shots at the vehicle, but the driver continued forward, eventually colliding with a van in a nearby intersection.

Two people, Bogdan Ferdinand Diordiev and Alana Mae Steeves, were arrested.  

Diordiev was shot in the left arm and Steeves took a bullet in the left thigh.

Police said Steeve's bag contained 3.2 grams of fentanyl, and ASIRT's report noted that Diordiev admitted to smoking meth an hour before the incident.

In the report, ASIRT says Diordiev told them that he had no idea about the military parade and simply made an incorrect turn and then tried to correct it.

ASIRT noted in its conclusion that while there's no evidence to suggest Diordiev or Steeves knew about the military parade or had any “intent to harm participants,” the evidence also doesn't support that Diordiev simply "made an incorrect turn."

ASIRT says Diordiev ignored the commands of police and almost hit an officer.

"His actions are more consistent with a drug-intoxicated driver in a stolen vehicle who is trying to get away from police," said ASIRT in the report.

"His actions presented a serious risk to any other drivers, any pedestrians, and the officers. He could have killed any pedestrian, cyclist, (one of the officers involved), or the driver of the van. His actions were criminal."

ASIRT found the officers involved in the incident responded appropriately, and that the use of force was "proportionate, necessary, and reasonable in the circumstances."

As a result, the officer who fired the shots won't be charged.