A Cree man shot and killed by Edmonton police officers on Dec. 3 was remembered at a candlelight vigil Tuesday evening.
Friends placed photos and a wreath on a tree near where the shooting occurred in downtown Edmonton.
A poster identified the victim as Katlin Arcand. It is not known who put up the poster.
“I came out to the vigil to support my friend,” Jordan Reeves told APTN. “He was a gentle soul as far as I have been around and known him.
“He took care of elders and cared about his community.”
APTN News confirmed the man is a member of Alexander First Nation, about 60 kms northeast of Edmonton. Chief George Arcand was unavailable for interviews or comment on Wednesday.
Several people at the vigil did not want to give their names for fear of repercussions from the police.
APTN obtained two separate video recordings of the incident filmed by witnesses. In the videos, officers can be heard yelling at the man to drop a weapon and seem to deploy a taser.
The yelling continues, the videos show, and a man obscured behind a vehicle appears to be on the ground. Six shots are then fired in rapid succession.
The Edmonton Police Service issued a news release saying “life-saving measures were attempted on scene; however, the male succumbed to his injuries.”
A knife was also recovered at the scene, the release said.
The fatal shooting is now being investigated by the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team or ASIRT. In a press release, ASIRT confirmed the details shared by the EPS and added that “police used a conducted energy weapon and a physical altercation ensued.”
Tom Engel, a defence lawyer in Edmonton, watched the videos at APTN’s request.
“I have got some real concerns about this,” he told APTN. “[Police are] rigorously trained that you don’t get within 21 feet of someone with a knife in their hand.”
Engel said the man was tasered, but doesn’t understand why officers got so close to an armed man or chose to shoot him.
“He just drops like a statue, OK, so that means it’s obvious that it worked,” he said. “Now the taser operator can be 12 feet away and keep administering shocks.”
In a press release, ASIRT said they are “continuing efforts to identify people who may have witnessed aspects of the confrontation between the man and police. ASIRT is asking anyone who may have been in the area and may have witnessed these events and/or may have video to contact investigators.”
