Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) is investigating an officer involved shooting which took place in rural Wheatland County.
On Sunday, February 12, at approximately 2:15 p.m. Airdrie Rural RCMP received a call from Calgary Police Service to assist in locating a vehicle which had been driving erratically.
An RCMP officer located the vehicle and attempted a traffic stop, but the vehicle fled and the pursuit was terminated. A Calgary Police Service helicopter maintained visual contact with the suspect vehicle and advised that it was travelling at high speed, sometimes in the oncoming lanes.
An RCMP officer successfully deployed a tire deflation device, stopping the suspect vehicle near the intersection of Highway 564 and Range Road 245, near the hamlet of Nightingale, in Wheatland County.
The officer attempted to arrest the driver, who was the lone occupant.
An altercation occurred which resulted in the officer discharging their firearm. The driver, a 37-year-old female resident of Calgary, has been transported via STARS to a Calgary hospital with gunshot injuries. No officers were physically injured during this incident.
The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) has taken over carriage of the investigation into the circumstances of the officer involved shooting.
Alberta RCMP believes in processes that seek the facts and it’s important that processes taken to assess the actions of all those involved, including the police, are fair, transparent, and defendable. This is why, as soon as we became aware of this incident, we immediately notified the Director of Law Enforcement and initiated our internal review process.
Independent of ASIRT’s investigation, the Alberta RCMP’s internal review process has been implemented to gather a full account of what took place during this incident. RCMP training, policy, police response, and the duty status of the members involved will be subject to review.
Update as of February 24, 2023:
As a result of an investigation by Southern Alberta District General Investigation Section into the incidents leading up to the officer involved shooting, charges have been pursued.
Kerry Jolene Funk, 37, a resident of Calgary, has been charged with the following offences: assault peace officer with a weapon; flight from peace officer; dangerous operation of a motor vehicle; possess a weapon for dangerous purpose; utter threats.
Funk has been released on conditions and will be appearing in provincial court in Airdrie on April 20, 2023.
As this matter is before the courts, no further information will be provided.
