Calgary police cleared in shooting of man who boarded CTrain with BB gun

A CCTV image released by ASIRT in its report into an officer-involved shooting on July 7, 2021. (ASIRT/handout)

A Calgary police officer has been cleared of any wrongdoing in the shooting of a man who boarded a CTrain with a gun.

The incident happened on July 7, 2021.

According to a report from Alberta’s police watchdog, the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT), the man got onto a CTrain at the Westbrook Station and proceeded to sit with what appeared to be a handgun on his lap.

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Calgary Transit held the CTrain at the Sirocco Station for Calgary police, who cordoned off the CTrain and platform.

Several other passengers were on the train at the time, but the man was sitting by himself and “appeared passed out,” according to the report.

Police were able to get passengers off the CTrain safely, later confirming with use of a drone that the suspect did indeed have a gun on his lap.

Though officers shouted at the man in an effort to wake him, he remained asleep.

After several hours, ASIRT says the man woke up, collected his belongings and exited the CTrain.

ASIRT says he walked along the platform with the gun in his hand, at which time “verbal commands were given to drop the gun.”

ASIRT says the man didn’t comply, leading to him being shot in the head and stomach.

Police arrested him.

The gun recovered was subsequently determined to be a BB gun that had a defaced serial number.

Paramedics transported the man to hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. He was released from hospital several weeks later.

According to ASIRT’s report, when interviewed after the shooting, the man told the police watchdog he was unhoused and had not slept the night before.

He said he had smoked half of an eight ball of heroin that day.

“The BB gun was a black handgun that he had for a day,” the report states. “It did not work. The BB gun required the user to cock it before firing.”

He told ASIRT it was his only weapon, but ASIRT noted a search of the man’s possessions revealed what appeared to be a can of bear spray wrapped in black tape.

In its report, ASIRT said the officer who shot the man was “acting properly in the execution of his duties” and that the force he used was “proportionate, necessary, and reasonable.”

The report concludes that there are no grounds to believe that an offence was committed.