Based on coverage from Winnipeg Free Press and CityNews.
Alberta’s police watchdog has cleared five Calgary police officers who shot and killed a man after a day-long standoff in southeast Calgary, saying the officers acted reasonably in the face of what it calls a “mortal threat.”
The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) released its final report Wednesday into the March 14-15, 2024 incident, which ended with 45-year-old Patrick Kimmel being shot 12 times after emerging from a basement with a shotgun and a live grenade strapped to his tactical vest.
ASIRT report clears Calgary police officers
ASIRT’s acting executive director, Matthew Block, wrote there is “no doubt” the officers acted reasonably. The report says the officers were “required or authorized by law to act” and that their force was “reasonable, proportionate and necessary.”
ASIRT also says the evidence leaves no reasonable interpretation other than the officers were defending themselves, other officers, and nearby civilians.
Penbrooke Meadows standoff shut down southeast Calgary
The confrontation unfolded at Kimmel’s home in Penbrooke Meadows, near Memorial Drive. ASIRT says the incident forced the closure of major roads and several neighbourhood streets, and led to the evacuation of some nearby homes.
On timing, accounts differ slightly: The Canadian Press describes a 29-hour standoff, while ASIRT’s summary in other reporting describes it as roughly 30 hours. Either way, the standoff stretched well beyond a full day and tied up a large police response in a busy part of the city.
Search and arrest warrants sparked confrontation
The Canadian Press reports Calgary police were executing a search warrant when Kimmel ran into the basement after seeing officers. Another account says officers were there to execute an arrest warrant related to firearms charges. ASIRT’s final report ties the police presence to an arrest warrant on firearms-related charges, and the standoff appears to have grown from that attempted arrest at the home.
What both versions agree on is what happened next: ASIRT says Kimmel quickly began firing at police. During the standoff, he continued to refuse negotiations and shot at officers intermittently. Investigators say no officers were hit.
Gunfire, gas canisters, and flooding the basement
ASIRT says officers fired back during the standoff and also deployed multiple gas canisters. After hours of unsuccessful efforts to get Kimmel to surrender, officers escalated to tactics meant to force him out of the basement.
The Canadian Press reports officers started flooding the basement with water. Another report describes police inserting a fire hose into the basement for the same purpose: to push him out after negotiations failed.
ASIRT also reports Kimmel made threats during the standoff, including saying he might shoot himself or blow himself up with a grenade because he did not want to go to jail.
Final moments: shotgun and live grenade
ASIRT says Kimmel eventually emerged from the basement armed with a shotgun, wearing body armour, with a live grenade attached to his vest. Five officers opened fire, fatally wounding him.
Block’s report describes Kimmel as a mortal threat to anyone nearby, and ASIRT’s conclusion rests heavily on the combination of his earlier gunfire, refusal to surrender, and the weapons he had when he came out of the basement.
For Calgarians, the takeaway is straightforward: ASIRT is treating this as a legally justified use of lethal force in a situation where officers faced an armed suspect who had already been shooting and then surfaced wearing a live explosive.
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