An investigation into a fight involving a man with a weapon at a CTrain station resulted an on-duty CPS member being slashed with a large bladed weapon and the suspect suffering from a gunshot wound.
Acting Calgary Police Service Chief Trevor Daroux says police responded to the area shortly after 2:00 p.m. following reports of a fight on the nearby LRT platform where a suspect was seen assaulting people with a weapon.
"A single vehicle officer was circulating and he saw an individual behind the dumpster that matched the description of the individual that was involved in the fight earlier on," said Daroux. "The officer verbally engaged the suspect who then fled."
Daroux says a foot chase ensued into Marlborough Mall.
"The offender turned to engage the officer at which time the officer engage deployed his Taser, however, it proved ineffective," explained Daroux. "A physical struggle then ensued when the man produced a large bladed weapon and severely injured our officer."
"The officer responded by discharging his firearm."
EMS confirms two people were transported from the mall by ambulance at approximately 2:15 p.m. including a person suffering from a gunshot wound who was in critical, life threatening condition. The second patient, the Calgary Police Service member, was in stable condition with soft tissue injuries.
The suspect's condition has since been upgraded to stable.
"The officer showed extreme courage and restraint and we're very fortunate that it wasn't more serious than it is and they are serious injuries"
The Alberta Serious incident Response Team (ASIRT) has been notified of the incident and has launched an investigation.
Daroux confirms the unnamed suspect is known to police.
Police tape restricted access to the Kal Tire location at the mall and store officials released the following statement to CTV:
We are aware of a police incident that occurred this afternoon on the Marlborough Mall property in Calgary. Although the incident did not involve Kal Tire or it’s team members, the investigation of this incident required the closure of our Kal Tire location which is located on the mall property. The incident is under investigation by local police and we’re therefore not in a position to comment further at this time.
Witness reports indicate as many as 20 CPS units responded to the mall and police on horseback were deployed to assist with crowd control.