Deputy Chief Devin Laforce speaks about the details of the shooting that killed two police officers during a press conference in Edmonton, Friday, March 17, 2023. Edmonton police say a 16-year-old boy who shot and killed two officers on March 16 had been apprehended in November under the Mental Health Act and taken to hospital for assessment. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson
EDMONTON – A 16-year-old boy who fatally shot two officers a week ago had been apprehended in November under the Mental Health Act and was taken to hospital for assessment, Edmonton police say.
The same gun was also used in a shooting days before the killings at a nearby restaurant that left a man injured, Deputy Chief Devin Laforce said at a news conference Thursday.
Investigators are working to trace the origins of the gun and how it came to be in the boy’s possession, and that other people could face charges, he said.
The Pizza Hut employee who was shot and injured on March 12 remains in hospital in stable but critical condition, Laforce added.
Constables Brett Ryan, 30, and Travis Jordan, 35, were responding to a family dispute at an apartment complex in the northwestern part of the city on March 16 when they were shot multiple times.
Police have said the boy also shot and wounded his mother during a struggle for the gun before shooting and killing himself.
His mother remains in hospital in critical, but stable condition. She is unable to speak but has been able to communicate through writing, Laforce said.
He said the gun has not been linked to any other crimes.
Laforce said investigators continue to believe the boy’s parents, police dispatch and the responding officers were unaware there was a firearm in the home.
“There are many remaining questions about what took place last Thursday,” Laforce said.
Police said they are investigating the youth’s phone and computer. They are also waiting on toxicology results.
Supt. Shane Perka said police could not provide details on the outcome of the youth’s mental health assessment.
He said it is also unclear whether the slain officers knew the teen had previously been apprehended under the Mental Health Act.
Laforce said police are not releasing the youth’s name at this time to maintain the integrity of ongoing investigations, including into the origins of the firearm.
Residents and dozens of police cruisers and emergency vehicles lined the streets of Alberta’s capital Tuesday as hearses transported the bodies of Jordan and Ryan to a funeral home.
A regimental funeral for the officers is to take place Monday at Rogers Place, Edmonton’s multipurpose area.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 23, 2023.
