An Edmonton police inspector says police did “a great job” in the resolution of Wednesday’s hostage taking at the Workers Compensation Board building in downtown Edmonton.
Thirty-eight-year-old Patrick Charles Clayton has been charged with nine counts of unlawful confinement, six counts of pointing a firearm, and one count each of possession of an offensive weapon dangerous to the public, careless use/storage of a firearm, and use of a firearm during the commission of an offence.
“At the start of this Mr. Clayton was very clear that he had no intention of leaving the WCB building alive,” Insp. Neil Dubord of the Edmonton police said Thursday. “But as the day progressed and through the work of the hostage negotiator, he was able to convince Mr. Clayton to leave peacefully and bring a successful conclusion to this incident.”
At 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday morning, a man walked through the front door of the WCB building on 107 Street and 99 Avenue. He fired one round into a cement wall but nobody was injured and police aren’t sure if the gunman intended to hit anyone.
The man then moved towards the elevators bringing nine hostages with him to the eighth floor where he locked himself and the hostages in a conference room. One hostage was released because of a medical condition. At 10:30 a.m. a second hostage was released and by mid-afternoon the remaining WCB employees were released leaving the man with one male hostage, a WCB claimant.
“The man indicated that he had reached a point in his relationship with the WCB that he perceived required drastic action to resolve,” Dubord said.
