On March 16, 2023, two officers with the Edmonton Police Service (EPS) were killed in the line of duty during an interaction with members of the public. During the same incident, one civilian was killed and another civilian was injured. Because civilians suffered harm during an interaction with police officers, the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) was directed to perform a review of the EPS investigation into the circumstances that led to the deaths and injury.
ASIRT’s role in performing a review is to ensure an independent assessment of EPS’s investigation. The specific focus of the ASIRT review is narrow, and only concerns use of force and whether any actions of the police officers led to the harm to the civilians.
During the review, EPS provided ASIRT with its complete cooperation. While such cooperation is both necessary and required for a proper review, that such cooperation came from people who were grieving the very recent loss of their colleagues bears mentioning.
ASIRT reviewed all relevant evidence, which included: witness statements from both civilians and officers; physical evidence from the scene; autopsy reports; police radio transmissions; and the firearms of both officers and the civilian.
Based on ASIRT’s review, the officers were clearly lawfully placed in responding to a call for assistance from a member of the public. The officers did not engage in any use of force, nor did they engage in any action whatsoever that contributed to the harm suffered by the civilians.
This release is distributed by the Government of Alberta on behalf of the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team.