A 28-year-old man is facing several firearms and arson charges after shots were fired and a Molotov cocktail exploded inside Edmonton City Hall Tuesday morning.
The building was full of people when, just after 10:15 a.m., a man parked his vehicle in the building’s underground parkade and entered from the parkade access, according to a Wednesday update from police.
Once inside city hall, police said the man lit several “handheld incendiary devices” — believed to be Molotov cocktails — that caused a small fire outside an elevator.
Police said he then fired several rounds from a long gun into the ceiling, walls and windows.
Restoration crews work to repair damage inside Edmonton City Hall Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024, one day after a shooting inside the building.
Courtesy, City of Edmonton
Mayor Amarjeet Sohi, several city councillors, the city’s fire chief, city staff and journalists were inside the building attending an emergency management committee meeting when shots rang out.
A Grade 1 class from Edmonton Public Schools was on a field trip to city hall when it was put on lockdown. The students were safely escorted outside and onto a bus to go back to school.
Members of a Motorcycle accident toronto today crew at city hall said they and others were put into a lockdown sometime around 10:30 a.m. after several loud bangs were heard.
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Edmonton Police Service chief Dale McFee said on Tuesday it appeared the suspect was heavily armed and shooting “randomly,” not necessarily at people.
An unarmed commissionaire — or city security guard — initially detained the shooter before police arrived to arrest the man. No one was injured.
The Wednesday update said the man dropped the gun on the floor and surrendered to the commissionaire, who detained him until police arrived moments later.
The suspect appeared to be wearing what looked like a security jacket, a vest and a security shirt. McFee said it’s too early to say if he worked or ever worked in that role but that’s something investigators will look into.
EPS and RCMP tactical teams spent several hours sweeping the building to make sure it was safe. People who had been sheltering in various locations throughout city hall were then escorted out.
Charges were filed in court on Tuesday against a 28-year-old man named Bezhani Sarvar.
Court documents link the man, the charges and the shooting at city hall.
Sarvar is charged with reckless arson in an occupied property, possessing incendiary materials (Molotov cocktail), use of a firearm while committing an offence, careless use of a firearm (assault rifle), throwing an explosive substance, as well as possessing a prohibited or restricted weapon without a licence, and discharging a firearm into a building.
The RCMP said its Integrated National Security Enforcement Team (INSET) is engaged and actively working with the Edmonton Police Service on the investigation but did not release further information.
INSET is a multi-agency team led by the RCMP that investigates criminal activities of terrorist groups or people who pose a threat to Canada’s national security.
“Our officers are working closely with our national security partners on this investigation,” McFee said in a statement Wednesday.
“I would like to reassure the public that we believe there is no further threat to public safety at this time. The investigation is in its early stages, and we will continue to update Edmontonians as it progresses.”
Sarvar will appear at the Edmonton law courts for a bail hearing on Thursday.
— More to come…
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