Boy, 15, fatally shot by 2 RCMP officers during 'confrontation' south of Edmonton, police say

The news that a teenager was fatally shot by police early Friday morning has shocked many residents in communities across central Alberta. 

The 15-year-old boy from Samson Cree Nation had called 911 for help, alleging people were trying to kill him, RCMP said Friday. Officers found the boy in Wetaskiwin, Alta., a city just north of the First Nation, with "several weapons."

Officers were able to confiscate them, but a "confrontation" occurred that led to two Mounties firing their guns, according to a news release RCMP issued Friday afternoon. The boy later died in hospital. 

"It's sad," said Mary Mackinaw-Minde, who learned of the shooting from customers at work in Maskwacis, Alta., just south of Wetaskiwin.

"A 15-year-old. It's horrible."

Wetaskiwin Mayor Tyler Gandam said it was heartbreaking to hear the news.

"We're in a small community, just under 13,000 people, immediately you start thinking about: Do you know the individual? Do you know the family of the individual?" Gandam said. "Of course my heart goes out to the family and everybody who has been impacted."

Robyn Bullstrongman from Louis Bull Tribe, just south Wetaskiwin, called the boy's death a tragedy and is praying for the family.

"It's hard losing someone, especially that young," Bullstrongman said. "I can't imagine how the parents feel, the grandparents. The whole family."

Boy died in hospital, say police

Wetaskiwin RCMP received a report shortly before 12:30 a.m. MT Friday that individuals were following the boy who called 911 and he said they were trying to kill him, the release says.

Almost an hour later, police found the caller in the south end of Wetaskiwin, a city about 70 kilometres south of Edmonton, at the intersection of 56th Street — a main thoroughfare — and 37A Avenue. Officers approached him and removed weapons, but the RCMP did not specify what they were.

At some point, there was a conflict that led to two officers shooting the teenager, the release states. Officers performed first aid until paramedics arrived and rushed the boy to hospital, where he later died.

Cpl. Troy Savinkoff, an Alberta RCMP spokesperson, clarified to CBC News that although the initial report said others were involved, the RCMP would not confirm that there were.

"We're saying that's what we responded to," Savinkoff said. "The caller ended up being the individual that we located and that is the person who ended up being shot."

The shooting occurred behind a local pawn shop. The scene was cleared before Roxann Roan, a Wetaskiwin resident originally from Maskwacis, visited the site Friday evening, holding a burning strand of sweetgrass.

"These are scary times. If a kid's going to get shot, that scares me too, now," said Roan, upset.

"That's why I'm holding [the sweetgrass]. I'm scared."

ASIRT also investigating

The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT), the province's main police oversight agency, was deployed to "oversee the investigation into this incident," the release says. ASIRT has not yet responded to a request for comment from CBC News.

ASIRT investigates incidents in which police action may have caused serious injury or death. The agency also investigates serious or sensitive allegations of police misconduct.

The RCMP is also implementing its own internal review process, separate from the ASIRT investigation, to get a full account of the shooting, including reviewing police training, policy and response, according to its release.