An investigation by the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) has determined that officers were not at fault in the suicide of a 48-year-old Cold Lake man last September.
According to the report, Cold Lake RCMP were called in on September 28th, 2015 by a friend of the man who feared he might harm himself. Police discovered him near the Ag Society’s rodeo grounds with a gun pointed at his head. Police drew their guns and called for backup, trying to convince him not to pull the trigger. At one point the man put the gun down on his knees facing the officers, but told them he wasn’t going to fire at them. He later shifted the gun back to himself. An officer put his gun away and took out a taser, hoping the stun the man to take the gun away, but the man shot himself before it could be used. The investigation determined that police were trying to de-escalate the situation at the time and that the taser was never deployed.
However, ASIRT is quick to say that the lack of criminal responsibility on the officers’ part does not take away from the tragic situation. They send their condolences to the man’s friends and family.