On Aug. 6, 2023, at 3:13 a.m., Sylvan Lake RCMP received a firearms complaint at a residence in Sylvan Lake. Upon arrival, RCMP observed a male with a firearm enter the home.

Fearing for the immediate safety of a resident, officers entered the home safely removing the resident. Officers made verbal contact with a suspect who was barricaded inside a room. Officers spoke to the man for a length of time then heard at least two gunshots from the bedroom.

Upon entering, officers located a deceased male who has been identified as a 33-year-old Red Deer resident.

No others were physically injured during this incident.

The Alberta RCMP believes in processes that seek the facts and it’s important that processes taken to assess the actions of all those involved, including the police, are fair, transparent, and defendable. This is why, as soon as we became aware of this incident, we immediately notified the Director of Law Enforcement and initiated our internal review process.

The Director of Law Enforcement has directed the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) to investigate.

 Independent of ASIRT’s investigation, the Alberta RCMP’s internal review process has been implemented to gather a full account of what took place during this incident. RCMP training, policy, police response, and the duty status of the members involved will be subject to review. The Alberta RCMP is, of course, fully cooperating with ASIRT and will not be commenting further on this incident.