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An Edmonton police officer accused of pushing a man down a flight of stairs outside the Hope Mission has been found guilty of professional misconduct.

The officer, identified as ‘Const. A.A.’ in a Jan. 16 disciplinary decision, was one of two officers tasked with transporting a man to the inner city shelter on Sept. 23, 2015.

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As they were exiting their police van, they were approached by two other men who were frustrated after waiting for a bed for several hours. The men appeared to be intoxicated and became aggressive toward the officers, according to the decision.

The officer in question said one of the men, identified as ‘C.C.’, began accosting him, and assumed what the officer took to be a fighting stance. The officer gave the man what he remembered as a one-handed push — a fact contradicted by security camera footage reviewed during the hearing.

The officer was “surprised” when the man went backward down the stairs, the decision reads.