Man shot by Calgary police was carrying weapons when he confronted officers, force says

The man shot by Calgary police on Wednesday was carrying weapons when he confronted officers after a standoff, forcing them to take potentially deadly action, acting Chief Ray Robitaille told reporters.

Police responded just after 4 p.m. to a homein the 900 block of 17A Street N.E. after a man allegedly assaulted several people then fled the scene.

He was located a short time later in a detached garage in the 500 block of Markerville Road N.E., a few hundred metres to the south, in Mayland Heights.

Text messages he sent to friends and family indicated he was armed and in distress, so police surrounded the garage and began verbal communication with him in an attempt to get him to surrender.

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"At approximately 8 p.m., the man exited the garage quickly, carrying weapons and confronting our officers," said Robitaille, noting officers tried to use a Taser before the man was shot.

The three officers involved in the shooting have been with the force for four, 10 and 15 years, respectively.

The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) is investigating, which is standard whenever someone is injured by police.

The man was rushedin serious conditionto hospital, where he remains.

Robitaille said the man shot by police has been the subject of domestic violence-related investigations over the past nine years, the most recent more than a year ago.

No names are being released.

Domestic violence calls increasing

The Calgary Police Service has responded to nearly 220,000 calls this year, said Robitaille, with only 15 of those resulting in officers pointing a firearm at a citizen.

"The numbers show that our members do everything possible to resolve a situation before ever drawing and discharging a firearm is even considered," he said. "Our priority is always the protection of the community and fellow officers."

The CPS domestic conflict unit has seen an increase in calls this year.

"Last month alone we recorded nearly 1,500 domestic incidents with almost 340 of those involving violence," said Robitaille.

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