A 16-year-old boy wounded his mother with a gun and then killed two police officers before committing suicide early Thursday in western Canada, officials told The Associated Press.
A police officer 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 they were 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 around 12:47 a.m. during a domestic dispute. He said there was no indication the officers were capable of returning fire.
Jason Franson / The Canadian Press via AP
McFee said other officers sent to the apartment found the young man dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He had said the shooter and the woman were related without saying how or the age of the suspect.
The chief said the woman was in a life-threatening condition when she was taken to hospital, but was later 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 Department and our city,” McFee said in a statement. “These officers gave their lives trying to protect our community. They will never be forgotten.”
Ellis said the officers’ names would be added to the monument to fallen police officers by virtue of the legislature, the CBC reported.
Ryan is remembered as a pillar of the community and a longtime youth league hockey umpire.
Darcy Carter, of the Spruce Grove Minor Hockey Association, said the officer and his wife were expecting a child.
Ryan was a paramedic before becoming a police officer and was passionate about his work on the force, Carter said. “That’s something I’ll never forget…just his face lit up when he talked about his work.”
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 snowbrush was not working. But instead of giving her a ticket, he cleaned her car, 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 for the officers’ loved ones and colleagues.
“Every day, police officers put themselves at risk to protect people. The news that two Edmonton police officers were killed in the line of duty reminds us of that reality,” Trudeau wrote.
The killings are the first for Edmonton police since 2015, when Constable Daniel Woodall, a hate crime investigator, was shot multiple times while using a battering ram to break into a residence. Another officer, Sgt. Jason Harley, was hit by a bullet that pierced his body armor, but survived.
On Thursday, Woodall’s widow, Claire Woodall, sent her condolences to the families of Ryan and Jordan, the CBC reported.
“It understandably brought back painful memories,” she said. “I am saddened to think that the same feelings will be shared again today by the families of the fallen officers.”
Before Woodall’s death, Officer Ezio Faraone was shot dead in 1990 while responding to an armed robbery.