The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team has completed its investigation into the shooting of a woman on a street in southwest Calgary in November 2016 and found the officer took the proper action.

Officers were called to a home in the 1700 block of 11 Avenue S.W. at about 2:30 a.m. on November 29, 2016 for reports of a woman acting erratically, screaming incoherently and trying to flag down cars.

A short time later, another 911 dispatch reported that the woman was seen swinging a pair of knives back and forth while continuing to shout.

The updated information about the weapons was not communicated to the pair of officers dispatched to attend to the scene because another unrelated incident prevented dispatchers from passing on that information.

Once those officers arrived, they witnessed the woman run from the middle of the street to a parked car. She hit the vehicle and then ran southbound on 16 Street.

They also recognized while they were still in their marked police truck that she was in possession of a pair of large knives.

Once the suspect ran towards the entrance of an apartment building, the officer in the passenger seat got out of the vehicle, drew her weapon and ordered her to stop.

The suspect stabbed at the door of the apartment building a number of times with one of the knives and then turned and ran in the direction of the police vehicle.

The officer commanded her to ‘drop the knife’ but the suspect only responded with ‘help’.

The female officer then began to back up to the rear of the vehicle and once the woman reached the police vehicle, the second officer saw her attempt to get inside while still armed.

The first officer was about to command the woman to drop her weapons for a fourth time when she witnessed her trying to get inside, at which point she fired two shots from her pistol.

The victim fell to the ground and the two officers immediately back to administer first aid until EMS could arrive. However, the woman was mortally injured and later died in hospital.

An autopsy indicated that the woman died of two gunshot wounds and a toxicology report showed high levels of methadone and cocaine in her bloodstream.

“The incident unfolded very quickly,” said Susan Hughson, executive director of ASIRT. “From the moment the woman stabbed the apartment door to the time of the shooting, only eight seconds had elapsed. The entire length of the incident, from the time when the first officer exited the vehicle to the point where the second shot was fired, was approximately 17 seconds.”

The agency says that there was a reasonable fear of death or grievous harm to either officer as a result of the woman’s actions and gave both officers reasonable cause to use lethal force to stop her.

ASIRT says that the officer had no other reasonable options at hand to defuse the situation.

No charges will be laid against either officer.

ASIRT extends its condolences to the family and friends of the woman at the centre of this investigation.