Man killed by police in downtown Edmonton

Edmonton police shot a man who was reportedly approaching people with a knife on a downtown street Sunday evening.

Officers were dispatched to investigate the complaint around 8:30 p.m., Edmonton Police Service said the next day in a statement.

The armed man was reportedly approaching people near 99 Avenue and 111 Street; the responding officers say they found him near 100 Avenue and 111 Street, "where a confrontation occurred and an officer discharged their firearm, striking the man."

Despite police performing life-saving measures, he died.

Police found a knife at the scene.

"I heard three shots and a lot of sirens so I looked out the window and at that time, it appeared the police were rushing to the person that was shot," recalled community resident Terry Parada of the commotion that broke out around 8:30 p.m.

By the time CTV News Edmonton arrived, officers had covered the body with a tarp and members of the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) were collecting evidence. ASIRT investigates police action which may have caused serious injury or death.

The area was closed for several hours, reopening early Monday morning.

"There was a whole lot of cop cars, a lot of flashing lights. I wasn't able to get too close … They were literally all over and around," Mark Slanina, who was walking his dog around 9:45 p.m., told CTV News Edmonton.

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Sean McClune