Rosedale active shooter suspect dead; residents no longer need to shelter in place

An active shooter situation in northwest Calgary has been resolved, and the suspect is dead.

It ended what police said began as an attempt to arrest a man who was wanted on Canada-wide warrants.

“At approximately 3:40 p.m., the suspect exited a vehicle in the 500 block of Crescent Road N.W. and shot at police before entering a nearby residence with another individual,” police said.

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“At approximately 5 p.m., the second individual surrendered to police and was taken into custody.

“At about 7:10 p.m., police confirmed the suspect was deceased inside the residence.”

Police said the suspect also started out shooting at another home.

That home had people inside at the time.

“There were two homes involved in this,” Deputy Chief Cliff O’Brien told media late Thursday.

“There was an initial home, which this subject shot at ... then moved to a secondary home.”

O’Brien said the suspect doesn’t appear to have had a connection to either home.

He said the suspect had been sought by police for weeks.

As Thursday’s situation unfolded, residents were advised to shelter in place, while others were advised to avoid the area.

On social media, police told residents along Crescent Road to “stay inside and lock their doors.”

Rosedale resident Curtis Atkinson said he first heard about what was going on through text messages from friends.

He said he’s never seen a violent incident like this in his neighbourhood.

He called it “unnerving.”

“It’s not the type of neighbourhood where you would ever get to witness something like that,” Atkinson said.

“But when it happens, you’re fearful because it becomes very, very scary and invasive for people that haven’t done this before or aren’t used to it.

“We all have kids.”

Shortly after 5 p.m., police told media the following:

“The threat is currently contained to a residence in the community,” police said.

“Out of precaution, we are asking members of the community to shelter in place until the incident is resolved. If you are at home, please continue to shelter in place. If possible, go into a below-grade floor of your property.

“If you are trying to go home and cannot access your residence, please go to Crescent Heights High School, where officers will have further information.

“We appreciate this will cause inconvenience, but your safety is our priority.”

Another Rosedale resident posted to social media, “Cops everywhere! Massive number of shots heard. Husband was coming home from a lunch and the cops made him go and shelter at a stranger’s house. Still there.”

A number of students were at Crescent Heights High School for athletic tryouts Thursday afternoon.

Thursday evening, the Calgary Board of Education (CBE) issued a statement:

“The Calgary Police Service contacted the school and asked that everyone in the building shelter in place out of an abundance of caution due to an ongoing incident in the community,” said the CBE.

“Students who were outside were immediately brought into the gym.”

According to the CBE, police eventually determined the school was not at risk and let the students go home.

“All students and staff are safe,” the CBE said.

Early on, EMS said paramedics were on standby.

According to EMS, there were no reports of patients or injuries at that time.

Later in the evening, EMS said they’d been cleared from the call.

Police confirmed no one else was hurt.

Meanwhile, around 8 p.m., police told media, “We can confirm the shooting incident is resolved, and the shelter-in-place order has been lifted.”

Police were expected to remain at the scene for a time, as scene containment and investigation were ongoing.

“Residents are asked to keep a respectful distance from the crime scene,” police said.

The second individual involved is a woman, O’Brien told media, and she and the suspect “know each other and they’ve known each other for a while.”

The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team, which is the province’s police watchdog, has been contacted.

Atkinson said he has praise for police for their response.

He wasn’t alone.

Amanda Williams had parked along the street to take her dog down to the river.

She returned to a surprise.

“We went for coffee, let the dog have a swim, came back and our car was in the cordoned-off police area,” she said.

“So, we’ve been here for three hours waiting to get our car back.

“I understand these things happen sometimes and it’s safety first. ... We’re OK with that.”