Prior to joining the EPS in 2009, Const. Jason Lapointe was a dog handler with the Edson RCMP detachment.
On October 12, 2011, D/Commr. Dale McGowan presented him with an RCMP Commanding Officer Commendation, in recognition of Lapointe’s skillful handling of a very tense man-with-gun incident.
The Commendation reads as follows:
Awarded for his bravery, emotional control and skill used in diffusing the situation when he risked his life to bring into custody an emotionally unstable and dangerous adult male in possession of a long barrel firearm. Cst. Lapointe, with assistance, took appropriate defensive posture to apprehend the male which brought this incident to a successful conclusion without grievous harm, bodily injury or death on June 5, 2008 near Edson, Alberta.
How the incident unfolded
Lapointe was in Edson on June 5, 2008, as part of a roving traffic team.
“I was a dog handler on the team and was just in town to feed my dog,” he noted. “I heard a call come in about a male with a gun. He was threatening to kill his girlfriend and then himself.”
The other team members were out of town at another call so Lapointe attended.
What happened when you arrived on-scene?
When I arrived on-scene, an upset female was on the phone with 911. Her boyfriend was standing behind her on the deck with a double barrel shotgun.
I realized that I knew the male from previous incidents.
The male ran inside the trailer, taking the female with him.
What did you do next?
I had attending members clear neighbouring residences and block the street off.
In the meantime, the male came to an open window with the shotgun and was very upset.
I felt that I had a good rapport with him, based on previous dealings and I used that rapport to get him to release the female.
What did you do after the female was released?
I positioned myself approximately 20 feet from the male, behind the only thing I had . . . a 4x4 post in the ground holding up a partial fence.
The male was clearly intoxicated and upset; he kept moving away from the window and then pointing the gun out at members.
Did any members move onto the deck of the house?
At one point another member jumped up onto the deck, when the male had moved away from the window. This turned into a dangerous situation because the male came back and saw the member positioned there.
Emotions were running high. The male began to calm down as I continued to talk to him for a lengthy period of time.
Eventually, he agreed to come outside and hand over his gun to me.
Throughout all of this, a member was still on the deck; did you have a plan in place as to what to do if things went off-track?
I had formed a plan with other members on-scene. We worked out what we would do if things went bad since we still had a member stuck on the deck.
As the male opened the door, the member on the deck jumped into the room and found himself face to face with the accused.
This enraged him, and he began to bring up the gun on the member.
At that point we put the last-resort plan in place and rushed the door. We secured the gun and the accused before anything tragic took place.
What did you learn from this experience?
It was a learning experience for all of us, some more than others.
Only afterward did the realization set in of how dangerous the situation was and how much worse it could have been. I had the opportunity to talk with the accused a few years after and he stated that he had one intention that day, and that was to join his father in heaven.
What kept him from doing that was the bond we had formed. That bond helped him work his way through some troubling thoughts.
I learned that taking my time, keeping a level mind, talking and not rushing through it by trying to be a hero was the best course of action. I put everything I was taught in training, and my own work experiences, to the ultimate test and it worked.
This award is a true testament to the dangers we face and how working together as a team allowed us all to go home alive.