An Edmonton Police Service officer has been charged in the shooting of a man suspected in a bar stabbing, Alberta’s police watchdog announced on Friday.
Police were received a 911 call just before 7:30 p.m. on March 1, 2024 to the stabbing at a bar in west Edmonton.
A few minutes later, another 911 call came in from a witness who was following the stabbing suspect vehicle as it drove in the area of Stony Plain Road and 178 Street.
At one point, the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team said the suspect vehicle attempted to make contact with the vehicle following it.
About 12 minutes later, police found a suspect in a truck on 98A Avenue, east of 178 Street, with a man inside.
Two vehicles on 98A Avenue near 178 Street behind police tape in west Edmonton on Friday, March 1, 2024.
Global News
ASIRT said a police vehicle collided with the suspect vehicle, causing it to come to a stop.
An officer “engaged the driver, which resulted in that officer firing their service pistol,” ASIRT said.
The 36-year-old was taken to hospital in stable condition. No one else was injured.
ASIRT was called in to investigate and said the evidence gathered provided reasonable grounds to believe an offence had been committed.
The investigation was forwarded to the Alberta Crown Prosecution Service (ACPS) to determine whether the case met the standard for prosecution — which the ACPS determined it did.
On Sept. 4, EPS Sgt. Neil Thompson was charged with one count of aggravated assault. Thompson has been with the Edmonton Police Service for over two decades, according to his LinkedIn and Global News archives.
He is scheduled to appear in court in October.