ASIRT clears Grande Prairie RCMP in Jan. 12 standoff where officer slipped firing less-lethal round
The watchdog's report details a 12-hour rural standoff near Grande Prairie that involved drones, chemical agents and a remote-controlled skid steer before an officer's slip led to a suspect's facial injury.
Alberta's Serious Incident Response Team has concluded its investigation into a Grande Prairie RCMP Emergency Response Team member's use of a less-lethal projectile launcher during a standoff on Jan. 12, finding no wrongdoing by police.
ASIRT says RCMP and ERT members arrived at a rural property outside Grande Prairie around 6 a.m. that day after a suspect allegedly assaulted his wife, intending to execute a firearms search warrant. The suspect barricaded himself inside an RV parked in his shop, prompting a roughly 12-hour standoff in which officers used negotiations, drones, distraction devices, chemical agents, an armoured vehicle and a remote-controlled skid steer to remove and disassemble the RV with the suspect still inside.
ASIRT says the suspect fired at police during the standoff, and ERT snipers returned fire. He eventually exited the RV and began moving toward the shop but was cut off by a tactical armoured vehicle and ordered to surrender. Two officers exited the vehicle to arrest him, and one attempted to fire a less-lethal projectile but slipped on ice, striking the suspect in the face with what is believed to have caused serious injury.
The suspect declined to release his medical records or participate in an interview with investigators. ASIRT determined there was no wrongdoing by RCMP, noting the suspect remained armed and had ignored repeated commands to surrender. The full report is available through ASIRT.
Compiled by the Alberta Daily Desk — an AI-written summary of reporting from the credited sources below, produced and reviewed under our editorial policy.