Calgary officer's shooting of getaway driver in Auburn Bay justified: ASIRT

An ASIRT member stands next to a stolen Toyota Highlander in Auburn Bay in July 2018 during the investigation into the actions of a CPS tactical member who shot a suspect twice. (file)

An investigation into a Calgary Police Service member's decision to fire shots into a suspect vehicle in 2018, hitting the driver twice, found the officer's actions were warranted.

The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) determined the officer, who has not been named but was a 22-year veteran of the force at the time of the shooting, was using force considered 'necessary and reasonable' given the circumstances.

A stolen Dodge Ram was spotted by police on the afternoon of July 12, 2018 in the southeast neighbourhood of Ogden and officers tracked it for several hours before it stopped outside of a home in Auburn Bay.

The pickup truck drove away a short time later and CPS members successfully deployed a spike belt to flatten one of the tires.

ASIRT says the suspects — a 20-year-old man and a 22-year-old woman — called a friend who was at the Auburn Bay home. He drove a stolen Toyota Highlander to the scene and the suspects jumped in.

CPS members attempted to box in the SUV using police units but their efforts were unsuccessful and the suspect vehicle drove off toward a tactical team member on foot.

The tactical team member fired two shots into the driver's side of the SUV, hitting the 33-year-old driver in the abdomen and the hand.  

The suspects who were not hit by the bullets attempted to run off but were quickly arrested. The gunshot victim was taken to hospital in police custody for treatment.

As part of its investigation, ASIRT interviewed the responding officers, as well as the three suspects, and reviewed aerial footage of the incident recorded by HAWCS as well as surveillance camera footage from a nearby home.

ASIRT says the Calgary Police Service's policy prohibits officers from "shooting at or into moving vehicles" but that policy is not law.

The investigation determined the officer was "lawfully placed and acting properly in the execution of his duties."