VERMILION - A 33-year-old man was airlifted STARS following an incident with an RCMP officer on March 1 in Vermilion.
At about 3:12 p.m. on Wednesday, Vermilion RCMP responded to "a request for assistance from EMS for an agitated male having a panic attack," according to information from RCMP. "Upon arrival, officers determined that the male was impaired by drugs and required medical attention."
Officers helped transport the man to Vermilion hospital, and were asked to stay on site while he was being treated.
"At approximately 10 p.m., an officer accompanied the male outside so he could have a cigarette. When they were returning to the hospital room, an altercation occurred between the male and the officer that resulted in the officer discharging his service pistol," according to police.
STARS air ambulance was called and the man, who is a resident of Lloydminster, was taken to an Edmonton hospital. No officers were injured during the incident.
"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," according to RCMP.
The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) has been directed to investigate.
