Alberta Watchdog Opens Civilian-Led Level 1 Probes Into Two Deaths After Police Contacts

Overview

• In Lethbridge a man who had been spoken to by a police officer on the fenced-off High Level Bridge went over the side and was pronounced dead at the scene after officers and paramedics attended.
• In Brooks an RCMP officer fired during an arrest attempt after ordering a man to drop a knife; officers gave first aid but the man died and investigators recovered two knives at the scene.
• The Police Review Commission directed the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team to treat both files as Level 1 matters, meaning civilian-led probes into deaths and serious or sensitive concerns about officer actions.
• ASIRT says both investigations are at an early stage and is releasing only limited facts, noting the Lethbridge victim was 22, no officers were hurt in either incident, and the RCMP says it will fully support ASIRT while conducting its own internal review.
• ASIRT’s role is to examine possible criminal offences by police and its findings could lead to criminal charges, but the watchdog has given no determinations or next steps while it preserves the integrity of the probes.