ASIRT: Officer who fired in Vegreville incident an 11-year veteran

An RCMP cruiser blocks access to an area near Vegreville, Alta. after a fatal shooting involving officers killed a 43-year-old man. The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team is investigating the shooting.

One man is dead after a fatal shooting, involving RCMP officers, took place in a rural area near Vegreville.

The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) is investigating the shooting.

ASIRT says three RCMP officers were called to an area located north east of Vegreville on a “trouble with man” complaint just after 2 p.m. Wednesday – officers were on the scene by 3:30.

A man was reported to be armed with a gun, and three adult family members were said to also be at the location.

The RCMP Emergency Response Team (ERT) was called in to assist.

“The RCMP dispatched a negotiator, who had not yet arrived on the scene by the time the incident unfolded,” ASIRT spokesperson Clif Purvis said Thursday.

Officials confirmed at about 5 p.m. RCMP officers fired one shot at a 43-year-old man – and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Purvis said it was at this point that ASIRT became involved.

“ASIRT was dispatched, as I said we took over conduct of the investigation into the RCMP at the scene,” Purvis said. “We recovered a shotgun.”

Neighbours have identified the 43-year-old man as Russell Skoropad.

Investigators remained on the scene for much of the day Thursday, and were still working to gather information from a number of witnesses.

“It’s in the early days,” Purvis said. “We haven’t interviewed all the witnesses, so we want to make sure we receive a pure version from those witnesses.”

Purvis went on to say the RCMP officer who pulled the trigger had been working with the RCMP for several years.

“The subject officer – the person who fired the shots was an 11-year member of the RCMP,” Purvis said.

Vegreville is located about 100 kilometres east of Edmonton.

An autopsy on the man slain in the incident was scheduled for Thursday; his identity has not been released.