Handgun recovered from Bow River after man shot Calgary police officer on Aug. 10

Alberta's police watchdog has released details about a chaotic manhunt through Edworthy Park on Aug. 10 that ended with a suspect shooting himself in the Bow River after injuring a Calgary police officer.

The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) says two Calgary police officers were preparing to conduct a routine traffic stop on a truck in an Edworthy Park parking lot around noon when the man walked away from the vehicle and ran into the nearby dog park. When officers chased him, the man turned toward them, pointed a gun and fired several rounds, hitting and injuring one officer. Both officers fired back, and the man continued running through the park.

The HAWCS helicopter arrived and tracked the suspect. ASIRT says the man fired a round toward the helicopter as he fled. He then approached an occupied work truck, forced the driver out at gunpoint and drove the vehicle onto nearby railroad tracks. Officers positioned along the tracks fired shots at him as he passed. The truck became stuck and HAWCS crews saw the man run toward the Bow River while still carrying a gun. He entered the river and shot himself. Officers on the ground found him dead minutes later.

Investigators recovered a handgun from the river the next day near where the man's body was located. Police said the suspect was known to them and had ties to organized crime, though the traffic stop itself was routine. A dangerous-person alert was issued around noon and lifted less than an hour later. Officers shouted warnings at bystanders in the busy park to run or take cover.

The injured officer was released from hospital a couple of days after being shot. ASIRT is reviewing the officers' actions as required after any police-involved shooting. The watchdog says no further information will be released at this time.