A Calgary man is recovering in hospital after he was shot by police early Thursday morning in the community of Bridlewood. Police were called to the 1000 block of Bridlemeadows Manor S.W. at around 1 a.m. Thursday for reports of a disturbance involving a man with a weapon. “By the time of officer arrival, the man had entered a residence,” police said in a release later Thursday morning. “After some time, officers engaged him and utilized tactics while attempting to take him into custody. “Approximately two hours after the initial call to police, the man exited the residence and a confrontation occurred, which resulted in one officer discharging their service firearm.” The suspect, 36-year-old Danny Martin, was taken to hospital in critical condition. His fiancée, Shanda Rea, is adamant he didn’t need to be shot. “How it was handled is unacceptable. Police should never use lethal force the way they did,” Rea said. “They have over means, bear mace, tasers, rubber bullets, canine.” Rea was trying to remove the blood stains from their lawn and driveway on Thursday morning. She told CTV News that she and Martin were drinking Wednesday night while playing with a bow and arrow in their backyard. She says a neighbour called CPS on them. “Two police officers showed up. I told them he wasn’t here. They left,” she said, adding that she intentionally misguided officers due to a no-contact order issued for her and Martin. But shortly afterward, Rea got a phone call from police to come outside. She obliged while Martin waited inside. Police tried to de-escalate the situation so they could take him into custody. Neighbours say they saw a bow and arrow on the road not far from where Martin was shot. Rea tried to visit Martin at Foothills Hospital, but due to the no-contact order she had to leave. “He’s in critical condition. They had to remove his gallbladder. The bullet hit his liver, his intestines, his ribs. The other bullet went through his arm,” she said. “Lethal force in the chest and in the arm? It’s unacceptable.” One woman who lives in the area, says her boyfriend was woken up by gunshots, which he says went off at 2:51 am. “He woke me up, and then we came downstairs just to figure out what was going on. Came outside, saw that the entire street was blocked off with all the police and everything,” she said. A bow and arrow could be seen on the ground in the aftermath of the scene. According to the area resident, a woman in the area could be heard shouting, “Why was your first reaction to pull the trigger? Why was the dog not deployed? Why was a taser not shot first?” No officers were injured in the incident, police said. Alastair Luke lives next door to the home the incident took place at and says the people living there moved in within the past month. “Lot of cars, lot of lights, a lot of people running around (last night),” Luke said. “Very unfortunate situation.” The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) is investigating the shooting. ASIRT is currently investigating one other shooting involving the Calgary police in 2026, year to date.
