Calgary Police Charge Man in Altercation Ending in Officer-Involved Shooting

The Calgary Police Service (CPS) have charged a man in connection to a series of altercation that resulted in officer-involved shooting on Thursday in the northeast community of Temple.

At approximately 6:55pm on Thursday, the police were notified about “a man with a firearm engaging in erratic behavior, including attempted carjacking and assault.” Police believes that between 6:50pm and 7pm that evening, the man had three altercations with different people or groups of people in the area near Temple Drive N.E., while brandishing an imitation firearm.

First, the man reportedly pointed the imitation gun at a woman who was parking her car near her residence in the 6900 block of Temple Drive N.E., but she was able to safely get inside her residence and was not physically harmed.

Secondly, he pointed the gun at two men who were standing outside a residence in the 0 to 100 block of Templebow Way N.E., demanding keys to a vehicle. When the victims told him they did not have the keys, the man reportedly hit the gun against the window of the vehicle, before leaving the area.

Police said in the third altercation, a man was walking from his residence towards his vehicle that was parked near Temple Drive N.E., when the same man approached him and demanded keys to his vehicle. The man reportedly turned to walk away but was hit with the imitation gun. Police says the suspect demanded the keys again, but when the victim said he didn’t have them, he was struck again. The victim escaped and was able to 911.

Police believes the series of events were random and the suspect did not know any of the victims. Around 7pm, officers arrived near Temple Drive & 58 Street N.E. and encountered the suspect resulting in one officer discharging their service weapon. The suspect was reportedly shot in the leg and taken into custody.

He was reportedly transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Police recovered a handgun-style pellet gun from the scene.

The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) continues to investigate the officer-involved shooting and cannot release further details. However, investigations from the initial 911 calls has led to the police to charge Akol Acuil Piok, 36, with three counts of robbery, two counts of assault with a weapon and 2 counts of failure to comply with a probation order.

The suspect will appear in court on Monday, March 4, 2024.

Visit www.africanpridemagazine.com for more