Alberta’s police watchdog has charged an Edmonton police officer with assault dating back to a shooting in 2024.
On March 1, 2024, the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) was directed to investigate a non-fatal Edmonton Police Service shooting that occurred earlier that day.
Around 7:30 p.m. that day, police responded to 911 calls about a stabbing outside a bar in the west end.
The suspect in the stabbing left the scene before officers arrived, but was later located in a vehicle near 98A Avenue and 178 Street, according to ASIRT.
A police vehicle made contact with the suspect’s vehicle, forcing it to stop, and an officer then engaged with the driver and fired his gun at the man, causing non-life threatening injuries.
The driver, a man, was taken to hospital.
The evidence gathered during ASIRT’s investigation provided reasonable grounds to believe that an offence had been committed.
The investigation was forwarded to the Alberta Crown Prosecution Service (ACPS) to determine whether the evidence met the standard for prosecution.
Following a review of the investigation and having been advised that the ACPS was of the opinion that the evidence met its standard for prosecution, ASIRT Acting Executive Director Matthew Block determined that the involved officer should be charged.
On Sept. 4, Sgt. Neil Thompson was charged with aggravated assault.
He was released on an undertaking and is scheduled for first appearance on Oct. 15 in the Edmonton Court of Justice.
Comments