Investigation clears Calgary officer who shot armed suspect in leg

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Alberta’s police watchdog has cleared a Calgary officer who shot an armed man within the leg throughout a confrontation in Temple final month.

Officers had been known as round 7 p.m. on Feb. 29 after a number of folks reported seeing the person — later recognized as 36-year-old Akol Acuil Piok — carrying a gun and appearing erratically within the space of Temple Drive N.E.

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Calls to 911 stated the suspect was earlier concerned in tried carjackings and a theft. One other particular person stated they’d been struck within the head and bloodied by a person carrying a gun, which was later discovered to be an airsoft pistol.

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The Alberta Critical Incident Response Staff stated its investigation discovered the officer first on scene recognized himself, instructed the approaching suspect to indicate his arms and yelled seven separate instructions for him to drop the gun.

Investigators stated the offender, nonetheless carrying the gun, continued to stroll quickly towards the officer, who stepped again towards the rear of his police automobile.

“At one level the (suspect) positioned his left hand on the highest a part of the gun in what seems an try to control the slide on the gun. As (he) received nearer to the (officer) he began waving each arms within the air in an erratic trend whereas sustaining possession of the gun,” the report states.

When Piok reached the entrance driver’s door, the officer fired three pictures, one in every of which triggered the person to throw his gun into the highway earlier than he fell to the bottom.

Two different officers arrived quickly after and helped handcuff Piok and administer first help.

ASIRT stated conclusive video proof from officers’ body-worn cameras and a police cruiser enabled a swift conclusion to the investigation.

“The (officer) had exhausted his choices by already issuing quite a few lawful instructions and trying to create a secure distance from the male,” the report states.

“Because of the presence of two completely different video recordings documenting the actions of the male with the gun, in addition to a transparent audio recording of the officer issuing quite a few lawful instructions, the (officer) is cleared by ASIRT.”

Piok was charged with three counts of theft, two counts of assault with a weapon and two counts of failure to adjust to a probation order.

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