The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) is investigating an incident on Cold Lake First Nations, which resulted in a 52-year-old man being shot and killed by police after a confrontation with RCMP officers who were executing an arrest warrant on the individual, according to an RCMP press release.
On Thursday afternoon, RCMP officers were carrying out an arrest warrant for a man on Cold Lake First Nations following an investigation into an alleged sexual assault, according to ASIRT spokesperson Sarah Jackson. Officers also had a warrant to enter a home and at around 4:30 p.m. a confrontation broke out between officers and the 52-year old man who was the subject of the warrant, she said in a release to the media on Friday.
The man, whose identity has yet to be officially released, was shot and pronounced dead upon arrival at Cold Lake Hospital.
Jackson said a knife was recovered at the scene of the incident, and that ASIRT investigators are still in Cold Lake, where, according to the agency's Twitter page, they will be examining the actions of the RCMP officers involved.
“ASIRT has deployed to Cold Lake for investigation of RCMP officer-involved shooting where a male has died,” it wrote.
In a statement released Friday afternoon, Cold Lake First Nations chief and council expressed their “sincere condolences” to the family affected in light of the recent fatality.
“In the coming days, we will provide more information to our members as the facts and investigation are underway in the fatal shooting of a member from our Nation.”
When contacted for comment, both Cold Lake RCMP and the RCMP's K-Division directed questions to ASIRT.
ASIRT is an independent body established by the Government of Alberta with a mandate to investigate incidents or complaints involving serious injury or death of any person, and matters of a serious nature, that may have resulted from the actions of a police officer.
This incident marks the third death of a civilian related to RCMP actions over the past month.
On Aug. 3, a 30-year-old man was shot and killed after a traffic stop by a Wetaskiwin RCMP officer working alone near Pigeon Lake.
On Aug. 4, a 27-year-old man died in hospital after being Tasered during an arrest at a Leduc gas station two nights earlier.
RCMP were also involved in a shooting near Grand Cache on Aug. 1, where one man was shot by RCMP but is recovering from the incident.
ASIRT continues to investigate these incidents.