A 16-year-old wounded his mother with a firearm and then killed two police officers before taking his own life in western Canada early Thursday, officials told The Associated Press.
A police official and a senior government official said the male suspect shot and wounded his mother in Edmonton, Alberta. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity as each was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.
Earlier, Edmonton Police Chief Dale McFee said the two officers were fatally shot when they arrived at an apartment building on a domestic dispute call around 12:47 a.m. He said there was no indication the officers were able to return fire.
McFee said other officers sent to the apartment then found the young man dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He had said the shooter and woman were related without saying how or giving the suspect’s age.
The chief said the woman was in a life-threatening condition when taken to a hospital but was later listed in serious but stable condition.
McFee identified the deceased officers as Travis Jordan, 35, who had been with the Edmonton force for 8 1/2 years, and Brett Ryan, 30, an officer for 5 1/2 years.
“This is an extremely tragic day for the Edmonton Police Service and our city,” McFee said in a statement. “These officers gave their lives while trying to protect our community. They will never be forgotten.”
Ellis said the names of the officers would be added to the monument for fallen police officers on the grounds of the legislature, the CBC reported.
Ryan is being remembered as a pillar of the community and a longtime youth league hockey referee.
Darcy Carter, with the Spruce Grove Minor Hockey Association, said the officer and his wife were expecting a child.
Ryan was a paramedic before he became a police officer, and was passionate about his work in the police, Carter said. “That’s something that I’ll never forget … just his face lighting up when he talked about his job.”
Jordan was remembered for his kindness.
Jessica Shmigelsky said she was driving to work after a heavy spring snowfall in 2020 and Jordan pulled her over because her snow brush wasn’t working. But instead of giving her a ticket, he cleaned off her ca, she said.
“He did his job, and he did more than what his job really entailed,” Shmigelsky said.
Ryan and Jordan were remembered with a moment of silence before the hockey game between the Stars and the Oilers in Edmonton on Thursday night with their photos projected on the scoreboard.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted his condolences and support to the officers’ loved ones and colleagues.
“Every day, police officers put themselves in harm’s way to keep people safe. The news that two Edmonton police officers have been killed in the line of duty reminds us of that reality,” Trudeau wrote.
The killings are the first for the Edmonton Police Service since 2015, when Constable Daniel Woodall, a hate crimes investigator, was shot numerous times while using a battering ram to enter a residence. Another officer, Sgt. Jason Harley, was struck by a round that penetrated his body armor but survived.
On Thursday, Woodall’s widow, Claire Woodall, offered her condolences to the families of Ryan and Jordan, the CBC reported.
“It has understandably brought back painful memories,” she said. “I’m saddened to think these same feelings will be shared by the fallen officers families again today.”
Before Woodall’s death, Constable Ezio Faraone was shot to death while responding to an armed robbery in 1990.