A man is dead after being shot by a New Brunswick RCMP officer after allegedly robbing a business, lighting a house on fire, and shooting a gun.
Police said the incident began unfolding in Moncton shortly before 2 p.m. Saturday.
According to RCMP, officers responded to a report of a man robbing a bank on Mountain Road with a firearm. He then left the scene, stole a vehicle, and entered a nearby residence on Briardale Drive.
On Saturday, the homeowner told CTV News he was working in his basement when he heard “loud banging.”
“I come upstairs thinking it’s the cat knocking something over and I see this guy on the back porch and he just starts banging away on the back door and shattered the glass,” said homeowner Robbie Justason.
“I was going to try and scare him off, but he flashed a gun.”
That’s when Justason said he ran out the front door.
“Scariest moment of my life. Probably the scariest thing that’s ever happened to me.”
He was able to run to a neighbour’s house and tell them what was going on.
“I heard gunshots by the time I got outside,” he said.
When officers arrived on scene, police said they set up a containment area “while the man fired shots from the residence.”
Heather Stevens, who lives nearby, said it was a frightening incident.
“I heard about four shots and then I saw smoke and I came out on the step to see what the smoke was and the fellow in this RCMP vehicle said, ‘Ma’am, get back in your house,’ so I went back in,” Stevens told CTV News Saturday.
Police said the man then lit both the house and a parked car on fire before attempting to run away.
“During the response, a member discharged their firearm at the man, and he was pronounced dead on scene,” said police in a news release Sunday.
The RCMP has requested the Serious Incident Response Team (SiRT) review police actions.
SiRT said it was told by police the man had attempted to break into another residence, which is when police tried to arrest him before they ultimately shot him.
“The New Brunswick RCMP is committed to being accountable and transparent to the communities it serves, and has referred the incident to SiRT for an independent investigation,” said police.
SiRT is a civilian-led police oversight agency which is responsible for conducting investigations into police incidents that involve death.
The investigation is ongoing.
-With files from CTV’s Derek Haggett
For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
