Investigation deems Alberta RCMP justified in shooting man in front of bank

EDMONTON - An investigation has cleared the RCMP of any wrongdoing in a shooting that injured a man in front of a bank in east-central Alberta last December.

The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) says the use of force was justified when officers responded to a 911 call in Vegreville about a robbery at the Toronto Dominion Bank's automated teller.

ASIRT says an officer arrived to find a man, carrying a suspiciously shaped cloth bag, who did not identify himself, refused to listen to the Mountie and began swearing.

Things deteriorated further when backup arrived and the man pointed what appeared to be a black handgun at the first officer.

The 22-year-old suspect was shot and injured when he refused to put down the weapon, which turned out to be a replica firearm.

ASIRT determined the original 911 call that brought the officers to the scene was made from the man's own cellphone.