Shots fired at Edmonton Oilers' watch party after melee: trial closed
Last April during an Edmonton Oilers watch party, an incident occurred where a fan was on a rampage.
The man who was shot by local police was involved in a fight and eventually moved on to stabbing local partygoers.
The Edmonton Police Watchdog, Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) was involved in investigating the the non-fatal shooting on April 29th, 2023.
The incident took place outdoors at the Ice Distract, where fans gathered to watch the Edmonton Oilers during a playoff game. With the amount of people in the area, the security detail from local police was put on the beat to patrol the event.
The witness officer and subject officer, of the shooting, were paired together that night according to the ASIRT. The officer and partner were on 101 Street on the West Side, before overhearing a fight had broken out. The two officers responded to someone yelling the suspect had a knife and would witness the suspect holding the knife over someone's head.
Both officers would tell the suspect to drop the knife he held in his hand, he would move away. During the movement, both officers believed he was moving towards them and would open fire, which a witness and his wife in a vehicle would attest to, according to the ASIRT.
According to the witness, the suspect saw both officers draw their firearms, before moving towards the police, knife in hand. The officers would issue a command to drop the knife before one of the officers would open fire on the suspect.
The suspect would fall to the ground as a result of being hit in the abdomen, officers would consequently be handcuffed and sent to the hospital. Two other participants in the fight would be transported to the hospital by EMS.
One would leave the hospital briefly and one hit by gunshots would require surgery and not leave the hospital for a week.
Under Section 25 of the Criminal Code, police officers are permitted to use as much force as is necessary for the execution of their duties.
«Where this force is intended or is likely to cause death or grievous bodily harm, the officer must believe on reasonable grounds that the force is necessary for the self-preservation of the officer or preservation of anyone under that officer's protection,» said ASIRT.
«With the benefit of hindsight, time for detached reflection and knowledge of the ultimate outcome, it is easy to speculate about how things could have been done differently. That is not the standard, however, against which an officer's conduct is measured. The question is, applying principles of proportionality, necessity, and reasonableness, whether the force used falls into a range of possible reasonable responses.
«The force used was proportionate, necessary and reasonable in all the circumstances.»
Source: Edmonton Journal
Police cleared for shooting man during stabbing at Oilers watch party: ASIRT
| POLL | ||
Do you think the shooting was justified? | ||
| Yes | 19 | 19 % |
| No | 81 | 81 % |
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