Canmore RCMP have arrested a man in connection with a break and enter and reported shot fired that occurred on Tuesday (Dec. 13) in the mountain community.
The suspect was taken into custody without incident after an RCMP traffic stop in Canmore at 8 p.m. He is said to have ties with the community, but other information has not been revealed.
On Tuesday, a downtown street was cordoned off and Lawrence Grassi Elementary School locked down for several hours after the reported break and enter and shot fired.
Seventh Street, between 7th and 8th avenues, was closed off by RCMP at about 12:20 p.m., after a report of the incident at 809 7th St.
The tense situation continued until 3 p.m., when a heavily-armed eight-member RCMP Emergency Response Team (ERT) and Police Dog Service team, which entered the duplex at 2:40 p.m., declared the home suspect-free.
Over the course of the -15 C afternoon, RCMP and sheriffs closed off 7th Street, while the K-9 unit searched the area near the home and the school grounds, as it was unknown if a suspect had fled the home. There was also a report of a suspect leaving the area in a truck.
RCMP continue to investigate the incident, after initially seeking a clean-shaven Caucasian man in a grey hoodie. Police reported that cash was missing from the residence.
The experience proved harrowing for one neighbour, who managed to scare off the man before RCMP arrived on scene.
At 12:20 p.m., Justin Mackenzie received a call from his girlfriend, who heard noises coming from her neighbour’s home on 7th street and said someone was breaking into their neighbour’s home.
Mackenzie, who was working at the Canmore Miner’s Hall across the street, ran over with a shovel, and tried to scare the intruder away while his girlfriend called police. Mackenzie peered into the house and looked at the man “straight in the eyes” before a bullet whizzed by his left leg.
“I had a shovel and I was banging the walls to scare the F- out of him,” he said. “He tried to smash the window and got caught on the screen. He punched the window and I was waiting for him like ‘come on out’ and he F- shot right at me and missed me. There is a bullet hole right in the back window.”
Mackenzie described the man’s weapon as a 9 mm handgun. Another witness said he saw a man fleeing the scene with what appeared to be a tire iron, although Mackenzie originally wasn’t sure if the man was still in the home.
Across the street at Lawrence Grassi Middle School, teachers rushed students indoors as part of a safety lockdown.
“The RCMP Emergency Response Team and Police Dog Service were called to assist, and the residence was cleared safely with no sign of the suspect,” Canmore RCMP wrote in a release. Once the area was safe, the lockdown at Lawrence Grassi school was lifted.
The scene was unusual in the mountain town as many RCMP and sheriff vehicles were on scene, emergency lights flashing, as personnel cordoned off the area, kept onlookers and passing vehicles moving and searched nearby. Some members carried rifles along with their standard issue sidearms.
Most unusual was the sight of the ERT and K-9 unit mustering behind Our Lady of the Rockies church on 7th Street – in full tactical gear including body armour, assault carbines, helmets and tear gas launcher – following a member with a shield across the street to the home to secure it.
RCMP would also like to remind community members to be vigilant and report any suspicious activity to the RCMP at 403-678-5516 and assist in the safety of our community.
Anyone with information regarding this or any other illegal activity can contact Canmore RCMP at 403-678-5519. If you wish to remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or report it online at www.tipsubmit.com. If the information leads to an arrest or recovery of stolen property, tipsters are eligible for a cash reward of up to $2,000.
