Alberta watchdog finds Whitehorse RCMP justified in fatal shooting of former Air North employee

The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) has released the results of its investigation into an incident in 2022 where a member of the Whitehorse RCMP shot and killed a man wielding a gun and threatening Air North employees.

The civilian oversight organization, which investigates police incidents involving serious injury or death, has ruled that fatal use of force by police in this case was reasonable.

The victim, who had been living in Alberta, was a former employee of Air North and knew many of those in the hangar that day personally.

The final report, published Thursday, reveals new details about the incident.

On November 24, at about 12:40 p.m., investigators say the man followed an employee through a security gate in his truck, aimed a rifle at another person and pulled the trigger but the rifle did not fire.

The report says the man cycled the action on the gun, aimed the gun at himself, and pulled the trigger again, but once again, the rifle did not go off. The man then cycled the action on the gun several more times, dropping live rounds on the ground, before returning to his truck and driving further into the complex.

The man got out of his vehicle and approached another person driving a highway tractor. The person attempted to drive away but the man got onto the driver's side running board and began striking through the open window.

A witness told investigators the man could be heard screaming, "I'm going to kill you."

According to the report, the person drove for around 100 metres while being punched in the head before the man jumped off the vehicle.

The person drove the tractor back to the hangar and ran inside, with the man in pursuit. Several Air North employees escaped from the back of the building. RCMP were called.

Five officers parked in an arc about 100 metres south of the hangar.

The report says the man walked directly toward police, holding his rifle in his right hand, pointed towardthe ground. RCMP asked the man to drop his weapon. The man reportedly told police to shoot him.

When the man reached approximately 10 metres away froma police vehicle, an officer fired two rounds from a carbine rifle.

The man fell to the ground, where officers provided first aid. He died after being transported to Whitehorse General Hospital.

Investigators spoke to officers involved, witnesses, and watched police in-car recording cameras and CCTV footage of the incident.

ASIRT ultimately ruled that the response was "proportionate, necessary, and reasonable" to the circumstances, and did not constitute an offence.