Calgary police shoot suspect in northwest neighbourhood of Highwood

The Calgary Police Service asked residents of a northwest neighbourhood to shelter in their homes as officers responded to a situation Wednesday morning involving a firearm.

Police were called to the 200 block of Hendon Drive N.W., in the community of Highwood, as part of a response that began at around 4 a.m.

According to police, a moving truck with a Drive Force logo on it had struck a home and several parked vehicles and the initial responding officers encountered an armed man pointing a gun at them.

CPS officials say nearly 20 police units, as well as RCMP support, were deployed to the scene.

Police say a confrontation occurred between officers and the suspect and a CPS member fired a shot that struck the man. The gunshot victim was transported to hospital by ambulance in stable condition.

The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) is investigating the actions of the officer who shot the suspect.

A resident of the area who wished to remain anonymous says her daughter saw the moving truck driving erratically Wednesday morning.

"She was wondering what the heck is this guy or this person doing?" the woman told CTV News, adding that once police arrived, she told her family to stay away from the front of the house.

"About 20 minutes later, we heard gunshots and when we looked outside, there was a SWAT team and more police coming."

"Why is this happening right in the middle of night and now, more often, gunshots on the street and on the roads and now in a normal neighbourhood? This is a more family oriented neighbourhood too.

"It does worry us a bit."

Calgary Police Service units and an armoured vehicle in the northwest community of Highwood during a Wednesday morning shooting investigation.Another resident describes the situation as "terrifying."

"I woke up to lights flashing and cops crouching all over the place – in my neighbour’s yard, sitting behind cars – and I didn’t know what was happening," Kathy Adamo told CTV News. 

"Then when I heard the shots fired, I was terrified. I thought, 'I've got to get out of the window.' I mean, I could be shot through the house or something." 

Kelly Sundberg, a criminologist and associate professor at Mount Royal University, says the incident brings up concerns about gun violence in the city. 

"Anytime there’s gun violence in suburban neighbourhoods, it’s dangerous and we’re very lucky to have a highly-competent police service that quickly responded," he said. 

Sundberg says it also raises questions about how gun laws are being enforced. 

"The current approach to curbing gun violence clearly is more about rhetoric than it is about reality, and what we need is to enforce existing gun laws and we need the courts to take firearms offences more seriously."