'Locked n loaded': Man shot by police posted ominous messages on Facebook
The man shot by police Monday morning after he was seen waving a rifle at bystanders near a busy intersection began his day with two ominous posts on Facebook, including a video filmed in a small bathroom where he showed off his weapon and a bullet.
Though police have not released a name, friends on social media and the man's father have identified him as Glenn Justin Ironchild, who uses the nickname Occo.
WARNING: Video contains graphic content
Further clues to the man's identity can be found in the video itself, posted Monday morning. In it, Ironchild is seen wearing a white ballcap with the letters O.G. — for "original gangster" — printed on the front. A white hat with the same letters was seen on the street shortly after the shooting.
At 10:47 a.m. Monday, Ironchild posted on Facebook: As of this morning I quit my job … I quit giving a shit. I have guns I been earning. I'm locked n loaded .... I have no reason to go all out 'n start killing people like i usually do. my ILLUMINATI has taken effect … to prove my LOYALTY ima kill myself and come back. LORD OCCO … HAIL SATAN.
Eleven minutes later, Ironchild posted a two-and-a-half-minute rambling video, during which he showed off his rifle. At 11:20 a.m., he posted one more message that read: My phones gonna die but ima show something g you haven't seen before … Prepare.
At about 11:30 a.m., people near 137th Avenue and 50th Street called police to report they had seen a man carrying a rifle. A least one witness saw the man load the rifle, acting deputy chief Darren Derko said at a news conference Monday afternoon.
Officers quickly rushed to the scene.
When the man saw police, "he turned and fired on them," Derko said.
A 10-year veteran officer fired three shots and hit the man.
Police did not say how many shots struck the man.
The wounded man was taken to hospital in critical condition. He was still alive late Monday afternoon, police said.
Edmonton Transit confirmed that a bus windshield was hit by a stray bullet. No one on board was injured.
No information was released about whether that bullet was fired by police or the armed man.
Tyler Logan was near the intersection Monday morning and said he heard three gunshots.
Moments later, he saw police "coming from all directions, really quick."
Another witness told CBC News she saw a person lying in the middle of the intersection and another person dressed in black with a rifle.
"I saw someone dressed in black, I assume a police officer, with a very large gun, sort of in the middle of the intersection, running towards someone on the ground," said Marina Willans, an employee at the nearby Red Robin restaurant.
The person on the ground appeared to be a man, she said.
The shooting comes five days after an officer shot and killed Vitaly Savin during a traffic stop in southwest Edmonton. Sources told CBC News that Savin came at the officer with a large knife.
Derko said it was unfortunate that Monday's incident was the second shooting in one week involving an officer.
He said the officer who fired the shots at the intersection on Monday is a 10-year-member of EPS. He and his partner are taking mandatory administrative leave, Derko added.
No police officers were injured.
"This incident could have been worse and we are grateful no bystanders were injured."
The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) is in charge of investigating Thursday's shooting.
ASIRT investigates all incidents involving police in Alberta that result in serious injury or death to any person, as well as serious or sensitive allegations of police misconduct.
Glenn Ironchild Sr. said he saw his son's postings on Facebook on Monday morning and tried to reach him with text messages, but got no response.
He said his son has three daughters.
The family moved to Edmonton when "Occo" was 12 or 13 years old, said Ironchild, who lives in Broadview, Sask.
His son did not finish high school, he said, but was a normal teenager who played hockey and golf. He had recently worked for a roofing company.
Glenn Ironchild Jr. was wanted on an outstanding warrant at the time of shooting for failing to appear in court to answer to a pair of alleged breaches of bail conditions. He had been ordered to remain inside an approved residence overnight and stay away from alcohol.
In May 2010, Ironchild was convicted of assault with a weapon, assault causing bodily harm and possession of a dangerous weapon, a sword. He was sentenced to seven months in jail and two years of probation.
In July 2012, he was convicted of impaired driving and sentenced to one month in jail and given a one-year driving prohibition.
