Calgary officer's use of force deemed 'appropriate' in August police-involved shooting: ASIRT

Body-worn camera footage from a police-involved shooting in Montgomery on Aug. 18, 2024. (Supplied: ASIRT)

A Calgary officer's use of force in an August police-involved shooting has been deemed appropriate following an investigation.

The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) released its decision on Tuesday in relation to an incident that took place in the northwest community of Montgomery on Aug. 18.

Around 2:30 p.m. that day, the Calgary Police Service (CPS) responded to a call about a man stealing a bottle of vodka and taking out a window with a hammer at an Ace Liquor location at 5032 16th Ave. N.W.

Two uniformed CPS members responded to the scene and found the man near the store. They were both wearing body-worn cameras that captured the entire interaction, according to the ASIRT report.

The officers were warned by a civilian that the man had a knife. As they approached him, they commanded him to drop the knife.

"The male stood up, still in possession of the knife, and walked in what can be described as a purposeful fashion directly at the two officers," the report reads.

"Commands from the officers continued to order the male to drop the knife but he maintained possession and closed the distance between himself and the two officers."

Two other officers arrived to assist with the encounter. One officer fired twice at the man, with one shot hitting him in the leg.

He was provided first aid and taken to hospital by EMS.

ASIRT said the body-worn camera (BWC) video played a significant role in the investigation.

A still image taken from the footage, provided by ASIRT, shows the officer with her gun drawn and the man standing in front of her holding a knife. ASIRT said she fired her weapon approximately 10 seconds later.

In his statement to ASIRT, the report notes that the man admitted that he was "intent on forcing the officers to shoot him."

"While his desire to be shot does not provide an automatic defence to the officer for using her weapon, his statement corroborates the impression that the BWC video provides," the report reads.

"(The affected person) acts in a very purposeful fashion to not only disregard lawful commands but also close the distance to the officers while he was armed with a knife."

A knife held by a man who was shot by police during an incident in Montgomery on Aug. 18, 2024. (Supplied: ASIRT)

As the man was armed with a weapon that was capable of being used in a lethal manner and continued to approach the officers, ASIRT said he created a situation where the officer was "entitled to defend herself and her partner."

ASIRT said the failure to use non-lethal force, such as a conducted energy weapon, isn't problematic in this case, as the officers may not have had time to switch to their guns if the non-lethal force was unsuccessful.

"(The man) possessed a weapon capable of causing death and (the officer) was entitled to make a judgment call about appropriate force which included using her firearm," the report reads.

ASIRT deemed that the officer's use of force was "appropriate," and has closed the investigation.