Calgary's top cop concerned about rising violence against police after officer shot in Canyon Meadows

A Calgary police officer will make a full recovery after being shot in the leg while responding to a call around 2:45 a.m. in the southwest community of Canyon Meadows.

There was a report of a suspicious vehicle blaring loud music in the parking lot of a condo building at 505 Canyon Meadows Dr. S.W.

Police say the driver was “behaving erratically.”

Police say when the lone officer approached the vehicle, the man in the car fired a shotgun and hit the officer.

Shirley Sever, who lives in the condo complex, was sleeping when she heard shots ring out. 

“Pop, pop, pop, you know. I’ve only ever heard gunshots on TV. I’ve never heard a real one,” said Sever.

“At first, I thought it was somebody trying to break in the front door, but then my husband said no, that wasn’t the door, it was (a) gunshot.”

Police say the officer fired back at the driver, but the man ran off into Fish Creek Provincial Park where he took his own life.

At this time, no further information is known about the man.

The responding officer was treated for his injuries, and released from hospital this morning.

Police Chief Mark Neufeld says he is thankful the member is OK.

“I’m proud of the officer and the way he responded. He will make a full recovery from this. Certainly, there’s not just the physical implications, but there’s the emotional implications,” said Neufeld.

“I’m happy to say he will do very well, but this could have been a much different day.”

Neufeld said while the police force has received a tremendous outpouring of support from the community after Friday morning’s incident, it’s disconcerting that there has been an increase in violence toward police officers across the country and in Calgary.

In September, Toronto police officer Const. Andrew Hong was shot at close range and killed in Mississauga, Ont., during his lunch break at a training session. 

Earlier this month, Const. Devon Northrup and Const. Morgan Russell of the South Simcoe Police Service were fatally shot while investigating a disturbance at a home in Innisfil, Ont.

Also earlier this month, Burnaby RCMP officer Const. Shaelyn Yang was fatally stabbed while responding to a call about a man in a tent at a park in Burnaby, B.C.

And in Calgary, less than two years ago, Sgt. Andrew Harnett died after being dragged by a fleeing SUV and falling into a path of an oncoming car.

“I can tell you that there’s a lot of rhetoric out there that’s negative toward police officers. And there’s elements of the community, the fringe, typically, that are espousing violence against our institutions,” said Neufeld.

“And this is something we’ve all got to be concerned about. It’s not OK.”

The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team has taken over the investigation, but Neufeld says Calgary police will also do an operational review of the incident, focusing on policy, training and equipment.

Residents of the condo complex are shaken up about the incident, but thankful police officers showed up quickly. 

“It’s a pretty quiet complex. We’re all older people and it’s pretty quiet. It was scary not knowing exactly what was happening,” said Sever.