Edmonton police investigating suspicious death after woman found dead in downtown apartment

Edmonton police are investigating a woman's death after her body was found in a downtown apartment.

The suspect in the woman's killing is also dead after being shot by an RCMP officer west of Rocky Mountain House, Alta., on Saturday.

Shortly after 4 a.m. Saturday, Edmonton police officers conducted a welfare check at an apartment building near 93rd Street and 103rd Avenue. Officers found the woman dead inside the apartment, the Edmonton Police Service said in a news release Saturday night.

An autopsy has not yet been scheduled, police said.

The EPS homicide section is leading the investigation into the woman's death, but are working with the RCMP, which tracked down a suspect near Rocky Mountain House earlier Saturday.

ASIRT investigating fatal shooting

The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) has been directed to investigate an RCMP officer-involved fatal shooting west of Rocky Mountain House, the police oversight agency said on Twitter Saturday night.

ASIRT investigates when serious injuries or death may have been caused by police officers, as well as serious or sensitive allegations of police misconduct.

Shortly before 12:30 a.m. Saturday, Rocky Mountain House RCMP responded to an allegedly armed man with a hostage in a "rural area" west of Sunchild and O'Chiese First Nations — neighbouring First Nations about 155 kilometres southwest of Edmonton.

Mounties, including members of the RCMP emergency response team and the police dog service, searched the area for the man, who was believed to be from the Edmonton area.

During the search, RCMP were advised by Edmonton police that the man was also a suspect in the suspicious death in downtown Edmonton.

Police found the man, but a confrontation ensued and an officer fired their gun. The man sustained life-threatening injuries and died from those injuries, an RCMP news release said.

No officers were physically injured, the release said.

Alberta RCMP informed the director of law enforcement of the incident and initiated an internal review process, the release said.

The internal review is independent of the ASIRT investigation. RCMP training, policy, police response and "duty status" of Mounties involved will be subject for review, it said.

In the release, the RCMP said it will co-operate fully with ASIRT but will not be commenting further on the incident.

CBC News has contacted both the EPS and RCMP about why the man was a suspect in the suspicious death, but has yet to hear back.