ASIRT investigating fatal police shooting in west Edmonton

Alberta's police watchdog is investigating a police shooting that killed a 36-year-old man in west Edmonton Tuesday afternoon.

The shooting happened in the Glenwood neighbourhood, in an alley in the area of 156th Street and 98th Avenue, Edmonton Police Service said in a news release on Tuesday.

Officers had been called to the area around 12:46 p.m., for a  weapons complaint near 97th Avenue and 163rd Street. It was reported to police that a man had entered a yard and pointed a gun at the resident before leaving on foot, police said.

Police located a suspect matching the description in an alley near 98th Avenue and 156th Street and "a confrontation occurred, resulting in one officer discharging a firearm," EPS said. 

EPS said EMS arrived and transported the man to hospital where he was declared dead. No EPS members were injured in the incident, the news release says. An object believed to be a firearm was located at the scene, police said.

There was a large police presence in the area Tuesday evening, including members of the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT), which investigates serious allegations of police misconduct and when death or serious injury may have been caused by police.

ASIRT has been directed to investigate the incident, EPS said. 

Residents in Westside Manor, an apartment building backing onto the alley, weren't able to access the building for a short while after police closed off the alley. 

Destiny Anyanwu lives in the building and wasn't home when the shooting happened. He came home to find out that police had broken into his apartment.

"They said they're making sure everybody is safe and the gunshot didn't meet anybody in the house," Anyanwu said.

"It's a really terrifying situation right now," he said.

Jovan Bobic has lived on the second floor for six years.

"This building is very quiet. For six years I've lived in this place — nothing has happened."