Calgary officer cleared in shooting of sledgehammer-wielding man: ASIRT
Posted Apr 9, 2026 5:19 pm.
A Calgary police officer will not face charges nearly three years after shooting a man who was swinging a sledgehammer, Alberta’s police watchdog says.
The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) released findings on Thursday outlining what happened on July 3, 2023, when officers were called to a Forest Lawn home in response to reports of a break‑in.
When they arrived, they found a man smashing a parked vehicle with a sledgehammer.
According to ASIRT, officers ordered the man to drop the weapon. When he refused, they attempted to subdue him multiple times with a Taser to no effect. Pepper spray was also used unsuccessfully.
The situation escalated as the man began swinging the sledgehammer wildly, at one point striking the witness’s vehicle and then moving toward an officer.
ASIRT says one officer fired a single shot, hitting the man in the arm. He immediately dropped the weapon and was arrested.
The man required surgery for a fractured hand but was otherwise stable.
ASIRT concluded there were reasonable grounds to believe the officer may have committed an offence. However, after consulting with the Alberta Crown Prosecution Service, who advised against laying charges, the watchdog said it will not proceed with criminal action.
The watchdog also noted the man had earlier broken into a basement suite and chased a witness before police arrived.
