On Feb. 4, 2023, at 7:48 a.m., Cold Lake RCMP received a firearms complaint from a residence in Cold Lake First Nation. Upon arrival, officers contained the residence and attempted to make contact with the suspect. A confrontation occurred between the suspect and officers resulting in at least one officer discharging a firearm. RCMP entered the home and the suspect, a 45-year-old male resident of Cold Lake First Nation, was found deceased. No officers were injured during this incident. Firearms were found in the residence.
The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) has taken over carriage of the investigation into the circumstances of the officer involved shooting.
The Alberta RCMP believes in processes that seek the facts and it's important that processes taken to assess the actions of all those involved, including the police, are fair, transparent, and defendable. This is why, as soon as we became aware of this incident, we immediately notified the Director of Law Enforcement and initiated our internal review process.
Independent of ASIRT's investigation, the Alberta RCMP's internal review process has been implemented to gather a full account of what took place during this incident. RCMP training, policy, police response, and the duty status of the members involved will be subject to review. The Alberta RCMP is, of course, fully cooperating with ASIRT and will not be commenting further on this incident. All media inquiries about this incident should now be directed to ASIRT at 780-641-9099.