Man facing 6 charges after shots fired, Molotov cocktail thrown inside Edmonton city hall
Bezhani Sarvar, 28, scheduled for bail hearing Thursday
Charges have been laid against a 28-year-old man accused of firing a long gun inside Edmonton's city hall, forcing the building into a lockdown Tuesday.
Shots were fired and a Molotov cocktail was thrown from the second floor of the atrium before a man was detained by an unarmed security guard.
Bezhani Sarvar is facing six charges in connection with the shooting, according to court documents released to CBC News Wednesday.
The charges include arson, possession of incendiary material, careless use of a firearm, use of firearm while committing an offence and throwing explosives with the intent to cause harm. Police had originally said that Sarvar faced seven charges, but later said one firearm-related charge will be dropped.
Sarvar is scheduled for a bail hearing Thursday.
Edmonton police continue to investigate the motive for the attack. Investigators believe Sarvar acted alone.
In a news release Wednesday, the Edmonton Police Service said the man parked his vehicle in the city hall underground parkade at 10:18 a.m., then entered the building from the parkade access.
"Once inside city hall, he lit several handheld incendiary devices, believed to be Molotov cocktails, that caused one small fire outside an elevator," police said.
"He then fired several rounds from a long gun into the ceiling, walls and windows."
The man then dropped the long gun onto the floor and surrendered to a city hall security commissionaire who detained him until police arrived moments later, police said in the release.
Accused employed with company since 2019
Sarvar has been employed with the security company Corps of Commissionaires since 2019, the company's northern Alberta CEO Nick Grimshaw said in a statement.
Sarvar had been "assigned to a variety of locations within the Edmonton area but was never assigned to the security detail at city hall," the company said in a news release.
"Given the nature of this incident and the ongoing police investigation, we are not able to provide any further comment on this individual."
During a news conference Tuesday, police Chief Dale McFee described the shooter as "heavily armed."
City hall remained closed to staff and the public on Wednesday.
Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said security protocols at city hall will be re-examined in the wake of the shooting.
Before the building re-opens, safety measures will be reviewed, Sohi said in an interview Wednesday. He said city administration will seek the advice of outside security experts during that assessment.
City hall is a public space and a place of work for many and it must be secure, Sohi said.
"We will do the assessment once things settle a bit," he said.
"I'm pretty sure there will be need for some security measures because we want to make sure that it's a safe place for everyone to work."
The investigation is continuing, police said Wednesday.
Sohi said that after police have left the building, staff from the city's corporate security and facilities management teams will determine what repairs are needed.
Sohi described the incident as traumatic.
"Everyone is shaken," he said. "And I want everyone to know that we are feeling their trauma, we are feeling their concerns.
"And when city hall opens back, we will try to bring it back to as normal as it can be after this very disturbing and traumatic event."
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Dan Jones, chair of justice studies at NorQuest College, spent three years as a correctional officer and 22 years as a police officer.
He said Tuesday's events could have been catastrophic and should prompt the city to put its security protocols under increased scrutiny.
He said maintaining security in a public place, like city hall, is a balancing act.
"I don't think we want to end up being a place where we have all these security check stops," he said.
"But at the same time you don't want to leave people in a way that they're unsafe or unprotected.
"It's that continuous battle between freedom of movement and security."
Grimshaw thanked the security officer. The security guard, a former Canadian infantry soldier, has been employed with the commisionaires northern Alberta division since February 2023.
"Our member went above and beyond his normal duties as a commissionaire," Grimshaw said.
"We are very proud of him and thank him for taking such bold and brave action to protect the public at city hall."
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With files from Paige Parsons