Witnesses wanted after RCMP shoot 2 men in December: police watchdog

The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) logo can be seen in this undated file photo. (File)

Alberta's police watchdog is looking for witnesses in two police shootings that killed one man and left another in critical condition.

The first shooting happened the early evening of Dec. 12 in Fort McMurray.

The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) said a woman called police after hearing crying in the basement suite she rented out.

Officers arrived and entered the suite for a welfare check, at which time a man was seen escaping out a window into the backyard.

ASIRT said one officer followed him and shot him. The man was taken to hospital, where he remained in critical condition as of Friday.

Only the man and the officer were in the backyard at the time of the shooting, ASIRT said, and the officer was not wearing a body camera.

The second shooting happened in Cold Lake on the night of Dec. 14.

At about 8 p.m., a fight was reported between two men, one of whom had a knife, near 50 Street and 43 Avenue.

The fight had broken up before officers arrived, but Mounties found a man in the area matching the description of the armed man.

ASIRT said the man took out the knife and approached officers. One officer shot the man several times with a gun while another fired a TASER.

The man was taken to hospital where he died.

Anyone who saw either shooting, or who has security or dashcam footage, is asked to contact ASIRT at 780-644-1483.