Woman shot dead by Calgary police during welfare check in Legacy
Calgary police shot and killed a woman in the southeast Legacy neighbourhood after she emerged from her home with a weapon. ASIRT is investigating.
Woman killed by Calgary police during welfare check in Legacy neighbourhood
A woman was shot and killed by Calgary Police Service officers in the early hours of Tuesday morning, Global News Crime reports, after a welfare check in the city's southeast Legacy neighbourhood escalated rapidly.
Officers were dispatched around 1:30 a.m. to a home on the 200 block of Legacy Circle following a call about a woman's welfare. Approximately an hour later, the woman emerged from the residence carrying a weapon. Police have not disclosed what the weapon was, but confirmed it was recovered from the scene. An officer opened fire, killing her.
Police Chief Katie McLellan told a news conference that officers had encountered the same woman multiple times in recent months. "What occurred this morning is just one incident in a string of concerning events where officers have been confronted with violence, weapons and rapidly escalating threats while responding to calls around Calgary," she said. "This is a significant concern."
During the encounter, a gas meter ruptured, causing a leak. One officer was taken to hospital due to gas exposure; a second was treated by medics on scene. Neighbours were woken between 2:30 and 3 a.m. and asked to evacuate. Fire crews shut off the gas line and residents were permitted to return shortly afterward.
Area resident Jeremy Siemens told Global News Crime he noticed one neighbour had not come back to his house. That neighbour told him he had seen a woman lying on the ground. Siemens said he had observed police at the property about a week earlier. "They parked down there, and then they walked in, and then they were hanging out in the lawn there for a while," he said. The incident left him shaken. "It's terrible. It's not what you think."
Nate Nicker, who lives on the same street, said Calgary police and emergency services had become a frequent presence in the community.
Chief McLellan said encounters that begin as routine can turn dangerous within seconds, and that firearms are increasingly part of that reality. Officers face situations involving firearms approximately eight times a day, she said, and there are roughly 40 calls per month about an officer in trouble. "This has become a new normal and it has consequences for our officers, their families, our service and the community that we are here to protect," McLellan said. "Officer-involved shootings are among the most difficult moments we face as a service."
McLellan said the safety of her officers is a source of constant anxiety. "It's what keeps me up at night."
The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) is investigating the shooting, as is standard practice for all police-involved incidents resulting in serious injury or death. ASIRT also handles serious or sensitive allegations related to police conduct.
Source: Global News Crime