UPDATE: After 30 hours of negotiations, armed man killed by police in Calgary standoff

(UPDATE: March 18 @ 5:05 am): A 30-hour armed standoff with Calgary police that forced some residents of a southeast neighbourhood out of their homes came to an end on Friday night after officers shot a man dead.

Police had been stationed outside a home in the Penbrooke Meadows neighbourhood since Thursday afternoon trying to negotiate with a man who had allegedly barricaded himself inside and was firing shots at officers.

Investigators estimated about 100 shots were fired from within the home before "the situation escalated" on Friday night at around 8:30 p.m. local time.

Chief Const. Mark Neufeld offered no details about the escalation or how the man died, but told a late-night news conference that public safety concerns were a factor throughout the standoff.

"This is an unfortunate outcome, but our top priority was always the safety of the community," Neufeld said. "We made every effort to bring this to a safe and peaceful conclusion and have employed numerous tactics and resources over the duration of this prolonged event. This includes intermittent negotiations with the individual for more than 30 hours."

The standoff began at around 3 p.m. on Thursday when police went to the home to execute a search warrant related to a separate gun-related investigation. Police said those not involved in the probe were able to leave the home before the man barricaded himself inside and adds no one was hurt as a result of the subsequent gunfire.

The RCMP Emergency Response Team eventually joined Calgary Police in their efforts to resolve the standoff, and Neufeld said both local tactical unit officers and Mounties were involved when the man was shot. He declined to provide further details, noting the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team is now investigating the shooting.

"This was a tremendously dynamic situation that posed immense risk to the surrounding community and to our officers," Neufeld said. "I'm extremely proud of the efforts of our members to de-escalate the situation and to encourage a safe, voluntary surrender."

The standoff prompted the evacuation of some nearby homes.

Police cited safety concerns for the order to leave, noting active gunfire made the risk level "extremely high" for both officers and the public.

Neufeld said the investigation "will take a bit of time, adding investigators are still processing the scene.

He asked displaced residents to monitor official police social media accounts for word on when they have the green light to return home.

(Original story: March 15 @ 1:30 pm): Part of a major thoroughfare remained closed and residents of an east-end Calgary neighbourhood were being told to stay away as a standoff stretched into its second day.

"We recognize the unfolding incident in Penbrooke Meadows has impacted the sense of safety for not only local residents, but also citywide," police wrote Friday on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

Tactical officers were executing a search warrant at a home in the neighbourhood at around 3:30 p.m. Thursday when police say someone shot at them.

No one was injured, but they say shots were continuing to be fired later that afternoon.

"I can say that there is a real threat of death or grievous bodily harm," Supt. Joe Brar told reporters near the scene Friday morning.

🔴UPDATE: PENBROOKE MEADOWS INCIDENT🔴

At approx. 9 a.m. today, Friday, March 15, 2024, Supt. Joe Brar spoke with media to provide an update on the ongoing incident in Penbrooke Meadows and offer support and ongoing resources for those impacted.

At 11:30 a.m. the Calgary… pic.twitter.com/ffzlG8ZeEZ

— Calgary Police (@CalgaryPolice) March 15, 2024

Police say they worked throughout the night to safely resolve the standoff, but a man remained barricaded inside as of Friday afternoon.

Part of Memorial Drive, a key east-west route, remained closed well into the day.

RCMP were brought in to help, which Brar said is normal practice as officers working long hours need to be spelled off. He said he couldn't disclose how many officers were working at the scene or how many residents had been affected.

Police told nearby residents to continue to stay somewhere safe, and that those who weren't home before the standoff began wouldn't be able to return until it is resolved.

Late Thursday, police posted on X that anyone unable to get to their homes should find somewhere else to spend the night.

"While we have isolated the risk to a specific area, the shelter-in-place and evacuation of the immediate area are active," police wrote in the social media post mid-morning Friday.

"We understand the uncertainty, fear and inconvenience felt by those impacted, but this is a necessary measure to ensure public safety."

Police said area schools remained open and safe, but that people would have to take an alternate route to get to two of them.

City emergency agency staff also set up at a nearby leisure centre so that displaced residents could get snacks, water, showers, somewhere to charge their electronic devices and mental health support, police posted on X.

Those affected were also encouraged to call the police non-emergency line for help and advice.

"I'd like to apologize. This was not our intent to cause inconvenience to citizens and residents," Brar said. "And if it wasn't absolutely necessary, we would not be doing it."