Edmonton police officer’s shooting of 19-year-old woman wielding knife was ‘necessary’: ASIRT

Alberta’s police watchdog is not recommending criminal charges against an Edmonton police officer who shot and injured a 19-year-old woman involved in a dispute with her teenage stepsister last year.

The use of force during the Jan. 23, 2024, confrontation was “proportionate, necessary and reasonable” and the officer was “acting properly in the execution of his duties,” according to the executive director of the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT).

BACKGROUND: Edmonton police shoot 19-year-old woman involved in sibling dispute

Edmonton Police Service officers were called to the dispute involving the 19-year-old and her 12-year-old stepsister at a home near 64 Avenue and 172 Street. Police were told the woman was threatening to kill the teenager and destroy everything in the house.

Two officers arrived and were let in by the teen. Police say the 19-year-old woman, who was upstairs at the time, shouted that she had a knife.

“The officers approached the upper level of the residence and observed a considerable amount of damage,” ASIRT’s report reads.

One officer approached an upstairs bedroom with his gun drawn, while his partner had her taser drawn. When officers opened the door, the woman allegedly reached over and grabbed a knife.

Officers allegedly told the woman, who was “screaming loudly,” to drop the knife. But they allege she raised her hand with the weapon and ran towards them.

One officer deployed her taser twice, but it was “unsuccessful.” The officer with his gun drawn fired once at the woman, hitting her in the chest. Police then provided first aid, and the woman was eventually taken to hospital by EMS.

“After being treated, she was transferred to Alberta Hospital for a mental health assessment,” according to the report. “(She) indicated she was intoxicated by alcohol during the time she encountered the officers.”

According to ASIRT, the woman later told officers she had suicidal thoughts and wanted to be fatally shot by the officers. The investigation and report also detailed the 19-year-old woman’s previous struggles with suicidal thoughts, depression and alcohol use.