CANMORE – A 27-year-old Canmore resident is facing multiple charges after he "exchanged gunfire" with an RCMP officer Friday night (Feb. 24), police said.
Austin Desylva was charged Sunday afternoon (Feb. 26) with aggravated assault of peace officer and discharge of a firearm with intent, police said in a media release.
RCMP said Desylva was remanded into custody following a judicial interim hearing and will appear in Canmore provincial court March 1.
Police said the investigation is being undertaken by the Southern Alberta District General Investigation Section, Canmore RCMP, Canmore RCMP, Canmore General Investigation Section and Canmore Crime Reduction Unit.
Desylva was taken to Canmore General Hospital early Saturday morning (Feb. 25) with serious injuries. He was later transported to a Calgary hospital by STARS air ambulance.
Police said in a media release a Banff RCMP officer and a Canmore man “exchanged gunfire” during a traffic stop in the mountain town at about 11:15 p.m. on Friday night (Feb. 24).
The man was the lone person in the vehicle, according to police and fled on foot into a wooded area in Canmore’s Larch area.
“The RCMP surrounded the wooded area where the suspect fled,” the RCMP statement said. “RCMP Police Dog Services and RCMP Emergency Response Team, along with a Calgary Police Service helicopter, were called to assist. The suspect was located a short time later.”
No officers were injured in the incident, police said in a release.
Desylva was previously charged with unlawful possession of a firearm Feb. 4 stemming from a December, 2022, incident.
The investigation was co-ordinated between Banff RCMP and Canmore RCMP, with RCMP’s emergency response team executing a search warrant at a Silvertip home.
Desylva was charged with pointing a firearm, 20 counts of weapons offences, possession for the purpose of trafficking a controlled substance and possession of property from a crime.
During the search warrant, police seized three shotguns – including two that were loaded – two loaded handguns, several rounds of ammunition, 260 grams of suspected cocaine and $800 in Canadian money.
Three other Canmore residents between 36 and 45 were also taken into custody and released on recognizance.
Police issued a media release at about midnight Saturday, asking residents in the Larch area of Canmore to stay in their homes and avoid the area for about 90 minutes while the incident was ongoing.
During the incident, there was heavy police presence in the area of 11th Avenue between 15 Street and Larch Avenue.
The Outlook spoke with multiple people in the area Saturday afternoon who said they heard what they thought was fireworks before learning it was gunfire.
Others said when they heard a helicopter flying over the community, they believed it to be a STARS air ambulance call to assist with a rescue or transfer a patient.
The area is a well-populated neighbourhood, with a well-travelled path that goes behind the area along the Bow River close to Larch Island.
Canmore RCMP officers, heavily armed emergency response team officers, a helicopter circling the area and more than a dozen marked and unmarked police cruisers were on scene.
Police were primarily focused on three areas near the Engine Bridge along the Spur Line Trail, multiple areas on Larch Avenue and the intersection of 11 Avenue and 15 Street close to Lions Park.
RCMP were mainly in the area of 11 Avenue and 15 Street, with multiple marked and unmarked police vehicles converging on the area at about 1:05 a.m. An ambulance attended the area at about 1:10 a.m., leaving at 1:15 a.m. with an unmarked police cruiser travelling with it to the Canmore General Hospital.
STARS later transported Desylva to a Calgary hospital with serious injuries early Saturday morning.
According to police, the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) has taken over the investigation.
“The 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.
Throughout Saturday, police were on scene investigating the area. They largely focused a white Buick driven by Desylva, a police SUV that had been shot at and a nearby home.
The area of 11 Avenue and 15 Street remained cordoned off with police tape as multiple officers investigated the scene. A white Buick car – with roughly a dozen bullet holes – could also be seen behind the police tape, with officers spending time near the vehicle.
Multiple residents told the Outlook the nearby home was owned by part-time residents.
Police could be seen using a camera drone to aid in the investigation.
A heavy towing vehicle came at about 4:45 p.m. as police cleared the investigation scene, with everything being removed shortly before 5:30 p.m.
Police said the investigation is continuing and more charges may be added. Police are also encouraging any area residents with property damage from the incident to report to the RCMP.
