Calgary's police chief says an officer wounded by a suspect who then killed himself is expected to make a full recovery but adds he's concerned about the amount of violence being shown toward police across the country.
Police received reports around 2:45 a.m. Friday about a suspicious vehicle with a person blaring loud music and behaving erratically.
They said when the officer arrived, a man shot him in the leg. The officer returned fire and the man ran toward a nearby park, where he then killed himself.
The officer was taken to hospital in stable condition and later released.
"When you talk about circumstances like this, the situation could have ended very differently," Chief Mark Neufeld said Friday.
"I am proud of the officer and the way that he responded. He will fully recover from this. Certainly, there are not just the physical implications, but there are the emotional implications as well.
"I am happy to say he will do very well, but this could have been a much, much different day."
Neufeld said violence toward police officers across the country "is a very disconcerting trend."
Last week, British Columbia RCMP Const. Shaelyn Yang was stabbed to death in Burnaby while she helped a city employee notify a man in a tent that he wasn't allowed to live in the park.
Her death came a week after two Ontario police officers were both killed in a shooting in Innisfil, Ont.
Neufeld said he received an early morning phone call after Friday's shooting in Calgary and instantly feared the worst.
"When it rings at that time it's not good news, it's never good news," he said. "I'm thrilled the way this worked out, but I am mindful that the circumstances are such that it could have worked out much, much differently."
The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team, the province's police watchdog, is investigating the shooting.
Neufeld said there will also be an operational review to determine whether any policies, training or equipment need to be changed.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 28, 2022.
The Canadian Press
