A man shot and killed by a Calgary police officer has been identified as 49-year-old Melvin Donald Vanhouwe. The man was identified earlier Monday by Clifton Purvis, director of the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team, which took over the investigation into the incident.
Calgary police responded to a complaint at about 12:50 a.m. at the 500 block of Sabrina Road S.W on Sunday after reports that a man with a sawed-off shotgun was holding his 19-year-old neighbour hostage in his backyard.
Purvis told reporters an officer, a 20-year veteran, shot at Vanhouwe three times from about six metres away after he raised the shotgun and pointed it at two officers at 1:57 a.m. Purvis said it wasn’t clear yet how many times the man was actually hit. Vanhouwe died in hospital.
The hostage and police officers were unharmed, according to Purvis.
