Assault suspect killed in confrontation with Edmonton police identified
CBC News | Posted: January 3, 2019 12:53 PM | Last Updated: January 3, 2019
Devlin Kyle Neyando allegedly assaulted woman in a Gold Bar townhouse over days, police say
A man shot to death by police officers Wednesday night in east Edmonton has been identified as 26-year-old Devlin Kyle Neyando.
Neyando was shot at around 9 p.m. after allegedly breaking into a home in the Gold Bar neighbourhood.
Officers were initially called to the home near 47th Street and 101A Avenue at about 2:30 p.m. Wednesday to a reported assault, police said in a news release Thursday.
Police said a man had been assaulting a 28-year-old woman inside the townhouse for several days. The man and woman were known to each other, police said.
The man was no longer at the home and police issued five warrants for his arrest on several charges including assault causing bodily harm and unlawful confinement.
Later that night, around 9 p.m., police received a tip the man had returned to the same Gold Bar neighbourhood apartment and broken in.
Officers surrounded home
With the assistance of a police canine unit, officers surrounded the residence.
When the man stepped outside, there was a confrontation and officers discharged their weapons, police said.
Police said the officers administered first aid until paramedics arrived but the man died at the scene.
A family member confirmed Neyando's identity to CBC News.
Court documents show Neyando, who is from Fort McPherson, N.W.T., was facing three assault charges on three victims in an incident in Edmonton on October 2018.
He was also facing two counts of assault and two counts of uttering threats stemming from an incident in Northwest Territories in April 2018.
A few residents in the townhouse complex said a couple lived in the home. While witnesses gave conflicting stories about what happened, they all heard what sounded like gunshots.
Lucy Thirlwell, who lives across the street, said she heard a "loud series of pops" and saw "a whole bunch of cops running in and out of the unit."
Further down the block, Elijah Runningrabbit says he heard gunfire as well as "yelling, fighting, screaming."
Drops of blood could be seen on the door and the ground at the back of the home where a recently broken window had been boarded up.
At the front of of the home, large patches of blood stained the snow.
Autopsy scheduled
No officers were injured, police said.
In a tweet, the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) confirmed it is investigating the officer-involved shooting.
An autopsy is scheduled for tomorrow.
This is the second fatal shooting by Edmonton police in less than a week. On Boxing Day, officers killed Buck Evans after he allegedly shot at them during a high-risk arrest.
ASIRT investigators said Evans was considered armed and dangerous at the time of his arrest.
Court documents reveal a warrant for the arrest of the 34-year-old was issued on Nov. 28 for possession of a controlled substance, failure to comply with a probation order and failure to appear.
Evans had a long criminal record dating back to 2003, with numerous convictions for possession of drugs and possession of stolen property. He was given two lifetime firearm prohibitions; one in January 2017, the second in February 2018.
ASIRT has jurisdiction over all sworn police officers in Alberta. It investigates incidents involving police that result in serious injury or death, as well as serious or sensitive allegations of police misconduct.