When David DeWolfe closes his eyes, he says he still sees the cold steel of an RCMP rifle pointed at his head.

The Strathmore father of two is considering his legal options just days after he and his family endured a “high-risk arrest” by Mounties on a rural farm, after they’d responded to a complaint that shots had been fired at a neighbouring property.

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At about 7:45 p.m. Sunday, Mounties in the town of 14,000 just east of Calgary said they were called for reports of shots fired and responded with “multiple RCMP members,” which quickly spiralled into a terrifying confrontation that left DeWolfe, his family and two friends shaken.

“I’m a guy with a young family. I teach piano for a living, I’m not a drug-dealing thug,” the 29-year-old told Postmedia on Wednesday.

“I thought they were going to kill my wife, my kids and I. Every time I close my eyes, I see a gun pointed at my head.”

In a statement from RCMP, which said they will provide “no further commentary” on the incident, the force said the tactics used were in response to the seriousness of the complaint.

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“Given the dangers and dynamics of this type of call to service, multiple RCMP members responded and contained the people who were believed to be involved,” RCMP said.

“No persons were injured during the resulting arrest. The safety of the RCMP and of the public in adjacent areas, as well as the safety of the subjects involved, was at all times the primary consideration.”

DeWolfe said he spent most of the day with his family at the Stampede before returning home around dinnertime Sunday evening. Following his arrival, he got a call from two friends who asked if they could come over and shoot some gophers on his rural property.

Soon after, he saw several RCMP vehicles at his neighbour’s property and called his friends to suggest they wrap up their shooting for the evening. Not thinking much about it, DeWolfe said he then ran a bath for his children, aged four and two.

Photo by Facebook

As he bathed his kids, his cellphone rang — it was an RCMP officer demanding he come out with his hands up.

“It caught me so off guard — I hung up and said, ‘Oh my God, what am I going to do?’ ” DeWolfe said, adding a second, calmer call from another officer convinced him to comply.

“I went out with my wife, and as we came around the corner we see several police officers with their guns pointed toward our heads.”

Unsure why police, several wearing tactical vests and pointing assault rifles, were making their demands with such force, DeWolfe began videotaping the encounter with his cellphone.

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In a three-minute Facebook Live video posted by DeWolfe, an RCMP officer wearing a tactical vest and holding a rifle can be seen approaching with his weapon pointed in DeWolfe’s general direction. When advised by DeWolfe that the encounter is being filmed, the unidentified officer can be heard to say, “Don’t be a retard.”

DeWolfe said he had a recent dispute with his neighbour over a bylaw complaint, but it had been resolved without incident.

Ultimately, DeWolfe, his older brother and the two friends who had been shooting gophers were all arrested and taken to an RCMP detachment. His wife was released without charges to stay with the children at his home, which DeWolfe said had been left in disarray following a fruitless search for weapons on the property following the arrests.

DeWolfe, who wasn’t wearing a shirt, which he had removed during his children’s bath, was released around 1:30 a.m. without charges, hours after being processed, with no way to get home.

His two friends, including Cam Cunningham, who corroborated most of DeWolfe’s version of events, were released about 3 a.m., both charged with the provincial statute of “hunting in a dangerous manner,” an offence that Cunningham said carries a maximum fine of $1,000.

DeWolfe’s brother, he said, was also arrested and is facing an obstruction charge.

Cunningham said he, too, continues to struggle in the aftermath of the stressful encounter with police, which he believes was escalated well beyond the level that was required.

“I haven’t really slept since that day,” he said.

“I close my eyes and see rifles pointed at my head. My faith in law enforcement is gone.”

DeWolfe said he is looking to put his family into counselling following the incident and is considering a civil lawsuit against the national force.

“It’s been hard. I drove past a police cruiser yesterday and my four-year-old started crying,” he said.

“I want the police to be held accountable — I’m not looking to become a millionaire out of this. I want my wife and my kids to get an apology.”