Investigators have identified a man shot and killed by an officer after an armed confrontation with Calgary police early Sunday morning.
When police arrived at a home in Southwood, Melvin Donald Vanhouwe, 49, was holding his 19-year-old neighbour hostage with a loaded 12-gauge, sawed-off pump-action shotgun in the man’s backyard, investigators said.
Police found another 13 long guns, including a loaded rifle, ammunition and various explosives yesterday, Insp. Guy Slater confirmed.
Vanhouwe died after being shot at three times by a 27-year veteran of the Calgary police tactical unit following a standoff, according to the executive director of the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT). The number of times he was struck hasn’t been confirmed.
“It is now known that the individual that detained the 19-year-old victim against his will was known to the victim,” Clifton Purvis said, adding that the motive for the confinement is still unclear.
“He is also reported to have been intoxicated and acting in a bizarre manner,” Purvis said.
When Metro contacted Vanhouwe’s family in Saskatoon, they declined to speak about the incident.
“We’re grieving here. Besides that, we’re not up to date on what happened,” a family member said.
Purvis said ASIRT is conducting an investigation into the actions of the police officer involved in the shooting.
