Mountie Justified in Shooting at US Man Who Illegally Crossed Border Into Alberta, Probe Finds

A police vehicle looks out over an empty highway in Coutts, Alberta, on Feb. 15, 2022. The Canadian Press

An RCMP officer who shot at an American man after he crossed illegally into Canada last year acted on reasonable grounds, an independent investigation by a police watchdog found.

The RCMP and Alberta Sheriffs were notified just after 7:30 a.m. on Feb. 4, 2025, that a man fled a secondary screening at the Coutts border crossing and drove into Canada illegally, according to a report by the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT).