Alberta’s police oversight agency says officers acted reasonably when they shot and killed a Calgary man with a live grenade strapped to his chest.
The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team says Calgary police were executing a search warrant at a home in March 2024, when the man ran into the basement upon seeing the officers.
It says that during a 29-hour standoff, the man shot at police through windows, and officers fired back, as well as released multiple gas canisters.
The agency says the man at one point threatened to shoot himself or blow himself up with a grenade because he didn’t want to go to jail.
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Eventually, officers began flooding the basement with water and the man, wearing a tactical vest with a live grenade, emerged with a shotgun and was shot 12 times.
Acting executive director Matthew Block says there is “no doubt” that officers acted reasonably, describing the man as a “mortal threat” to those around him.
“The (subject officers) were required or authorized by law to act that day and acted on reasonable grounds,” Block said in a report released Wednesday. “Their use of force was reasonable, proportionate and necessary.”
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