The investigation into the shooting death of a middle-aged woman is now focusing on what the victim held in her hand moments before she was shot by police. The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) say the woman had a plastic BB gun, which was painted black in her possession before officers fired.
ASIRT's executive director Clifton Purvis says the woman's painted BB gun was made to look like a Sig Sauer P230, a 32 calibre handgun.
"It is not a functioning firearm, rather it is what can best be described as a replica of a small Sig handgun," said Purvis.
Friends and family have identified the victim as Bernadette Auger. The 48-year-old's boyfriend had claimed the gun was a child's toy.
Purvis says the woman was shot twice by two separate city police officers. One member has 13 years experience on the job and the other officer has less than two years.
ASIRT's investigation will continue to determine whether the officers' actions were justified.
"One of the circumstances that we will consider is were they [the police officers] reasonable in their belief that this was a functioning handgun," said Purvis.
One resident in the apartment complex on 84th Street and 119th Avenue says Auger had been drinking and got into an argument with her family members shortly before the incident escalated.
Marilyn Fryingpan says she overheard police telling the victim to "put your gun down" about three or four times before shots were fired.
With files from Sonia Sunger and the Canadian Press
