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One suspect dead, another in critical condition

ASIRT investigating officer involved shooting in Northern Alberta community.
RCMP

SADDLE LAKE, Alta. - One person is dead and a second person is in hospital in critical condition following a confrontation Aug. 8 between RCMP and two suspects police were seeking in connection with several ongoing investigations.  

“St. Paul RCMP located the two suspects in the area of Saddle Lake Cree Nation and an interaction occurred, ultimately leading to a confrontation between police and the suspects that resulted in officers discharging their service weapons in the Smoky Lake area,” according to an RCMP news release sent to media late today. 

“One suspect is deceased, and the second suspect has been transported to hospital in critical condition. No RCMP officers have reported physical injuries as a result of this incident,” RCMP stated. 

RCMP initially reported that the St. Paul police were dispatched at 7:27 a.m. to a call of a possible abduction on Saddle Lake Cree Nation. “Upon members’ arrival, the two suspects fled from police in a red pickup truck. Both suspects, one male and one female, have since been located in the area of Smoky Lake and are no longer at large.” 

RCMP issued a second release shortly after 5 p.m. indicating that one suspect was dead and a second one in hospital and that an officer involved shooting had occurred.

"A substantial number of resources were deployed to a large geographical area to provide supports and manage risk to the public throughout this investigation," according to the media release.

The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) is now conducting the investigation into the circumstances of the officer involved shooting. 

“The Alberta RCMP believes in processes that seek the facts and it’s important that processes taken to assess the actions of all those involved, including the police, are fair, transparent, and defendable. This is why, as soon as we became aware of this incident, we immediately notified the Director of Law Enforcement and initiated our internal review process,” the news release states. 

“Independent of ASIRT’s investigation, the Alberta RCMP’s internal review process has been implemented to gather a full account of what took place during this incident. RCMP training, policy, police response, and the duty status of the members involved will be subject to review. The Alberta RCMP is, of course, fully cooperating with ASIRT and will not be commenting further on this incident.” 

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