The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team has confirmed that the suspect who died in the custody of High Prairie RCMP Friday was shot and killed by officers. 29-year-old Lionel Grey’s death came after a lengthy search for the man after he fled from a traffic stop the day before.
ASIRT reports Grey was found near Range Road 179, about three kilometres from Highway 679 just after 11:30 a.m on June 18th. There was reportedly a confrontation between him and two officers, who both fired their guns.
The incident began just before 11 a.m. on June 17th. Police tried to pull over a red Cadillac associated with a man with outstanding criminal warrants, but it fled and officers didn’t pursue it.
An hour-and-a-half later, another officer spotted the vehicle stuck in the mud and partially covered with a blanket. It’s alleged the vehicle was abandoned but mounties found ammunition inside as well as the suspect’s ID.
More officers were called to the scene, along with Police Dog Services, who tracked the man through the thick bush for roughly two hours before coming across him. ASIRT reports shots were fired by both the suspect and officers, which is when PSD Jago was shot and killed. No other officers were hurt, and it’s believed the suspect was also not injured at that time.
A civilian Search and Rescue helicopter took the members involved out of the area and more resources were sent to the area. It’s reported they again came across the suspect and several officers fired their guns. It’s believed the suspect was hit by a bullet, but mounties weren’t able to get him to come out of the bush and a search of the area was unsuccessful.
Over the next several hours, ASIRT says mounties came across the man two more times, speaking to him without any more shots fired, and it appeared that he was not injured as previously thought. The area was contained and it wasn’t until 11:45 a.m. on the 18th that two officers spotted him in a ditch on the west side of Range Road 170, about two kilometres north of Township Road 770.
That’s where the suspect was shot. Reports indicate RCMP and Emergency Response Team medical officers tried to treat him but he died at the scene.
ASIRT says a loaded semi-automatic .22-calibre rifle, as well as a range finder, were seized from the scene and have been seized as exhibits. The provincial oversight body will be looking into the circumstances surrounding not only the death of the man but also the death of the police dog.
No further information about the incident is expected to be released until the investigation is complete.