Four gun related incidents investigated by Bonnyville RCMP in 7 day span

Numerous high risk situations involving guns were responded to by the Bonnyville RCMP in the past seven days.

In addition to the officer involved shooting on Feb. 9, three other incidents required either Emergency Response out of Edmonton or significant police assistance to help keep the public safe.

Shooting: Officers from the Bonnyville RCMP responded to a report of a male acting erratically, trying to break into a room where people were hiding, and causing damage to a rural home west of the M.D.

Recognizing the imminent threat, members identified themselves and entered the residence. Immediate efforts to de-escalate were successful allowing the members to escort other people within the household to safety.

The suspect then confronted officers again. This resulted in an officer discharging their service firearm and the suspect being seriously injured.  The suspect has been taken by STARS to hospital where they remain in serious, life-threatening condition. A non-police firearm was recovered at the scene. ASIRT will conduct an investigation.

Two people charged

Residents may have noticed heavy RCMP activity on Thursday on the west end of Bonnyville, where a victim alleged a male and female attended her residence, threatened her with a handgun and pointed it in her face before fleeing in an SUV.

RCMP scoured the community and located the SUV 20 minutes later at a residential complex on 66 Street near 49 Avenue, near the old Duclos Arms building and travel centre.

Police staged off the area, diverting traffic away, as the situation lasted four hours. No injuries were reported as two people were charged.

A 21 year old female from Bonnyville is charged with six firearms related offences, breaking & entering, mischief and five counts of failing to comply with a court condition.

A 47 year old male from Bonnyville is charged with two firearms offences, breaking & entering, mischief and failing to comply with a court ordered release condition.  Both are remanded in custody and set to appear in court on Tuesday, Feb. 20.

“While this past week was more often than the norm, the Bonnyville RCMP deal with these types of situations and individuals on a consistent basis putting themselves at risk,” said S/Sgt. Sarah Parke.

“The larger societal issues of addiction and/or mental health played a role in ALL [sic] of these incidents from the past week and these types of incidents are becoming more and more common. As long as these issues continue to persist, we will have individuals making poor choices and exhibiting behaviours that put themselves, the public and the police at risk.

“The assistance from various other RCMP detachments such as Cold Lake, Elk Point & St. Paul Detachments and units such as ERT, Police Dog Services, Eastern Alberta District Crime Reduction Unit were key in the successful apprehension of these individuals.”

Earlier

A 41-year-old man from Kehewin is facing four firearms charges and uttering threats after police say he pointed a handgun and threatened to shoot at someone.

The report came in at 1:00am on Friday, Feb. 9.

The alleged incident includes firing the weapon twice inside the residence.

RCMP along with the Emergency Response Team from Edmonton surrounded the residence and got the occupants out safely.

The incident lasted six hours. As negotiations were unsuccessful, RCMP entered and secured the suspect without injury.

His next court date is Tuesday, Feb. 20.

A firearms incident on Saturday, Feb. 10 in Kehewin where a man was threatening to harm himself resulted in a four hour incident.

Other occupants of the residents were assisted in exiting with ERT on scene again as well.

After successfully negotiating, the individual came themselves up and did no harm. RCMP then transported the male to a designated mental health facility to seek aid, as he was not charged.

No names were released by the Bonnyville RCMP relating to the incidents.