A man is dead following an officer-involved shooting in Cold Lake on Thursday afternoon, and Alberta’s police watchdog has launched an independent investigation into what happened.

According to the RCMP, officers responded to a domestic call at a residence at approximately 4:48 p.m. on June 25. When officers arrived, they determined the suspect was armed with a firearm.

Police say the two other occupants of the home were able to safely escape the residence without injury.

After repeated attempts to communicate with the suspect were unsuccessful, the RCMP’s Emergency Response Team was called in to assist.

During the response, an altercation occurred between the suspect and police. RCMP say at least one officer discharged their service weapon, striking the suspect. The man was declared dead at the scene.

No RCMP officers were injured during the incident.

As required by law, the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) was immediately notified and has taken over the investigation. ASIRT is responsible for independently investigating incidents involving police where serious injury or death occurs.

The RCMP said it is committed to accountability and transparency and will fully cooperate with ASIRT’s investigation.

In addition to the independent investigation, the RCMP has also launched its own internal review to examine the circumstances surrounding the incident. That review will include RCMP training, policies, the police response and the duty status of the officers involved.

The RCMP has directed all future media inquiries regarding the incident to ASIRT.