Officers were called around 4 a.m. Tuesday to reports of a man brandishing a gun and setting fire to several areas inside the building, according to a release. Police said they believe he gained access to the building by breaking the glass at the front of the building while wielding a large gun. “Once inside, he began lighting fires throughout the building while becoming increasingly agitated and aggressive,” the statement said. Police say a man was taken into custody and taken to the hospital after “multiple submission attempts.” The man is a client of the Police and Crisis Team, the statement said, adding that he is “now receiving the care he needs”. “While in many cases intervention and coordination through our partnership is successful in preventing a mental health crisis from becoming a police issue, unfortunately, there are cases that are violent in nature and require an adequate police response,” said Supt. Asif Rashid. At approximately 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, the building remained closed to the public.
Water damage to the building
The sprinkler system inside the building was activated, causing water damage to the third floor, according to a news release from the city. The city says some services will be temporarily moved to other locations due to the water damage. On the third floor of the Central Library, the entrance, cashier and tax services offices will be temporarily located. Calgary City Hall was closed to the public on Tuesday. (Rebecca Kelly/CBC) The design and development office will be relocated to the main floor of the Whitehorn Multi-Service Center in northeast Calgary. However, those services were not expected to be operational until Thursday, the new release said.
Security Issues
At a news conference Tuesday, Mayor Jyoti Gondek said city hall faces the same safety concerns as other downtown Calgary businesses. “As a municipal building, we need to be as accessible to the public as possible,” he said. “But at the same time, what we’re seeing is that our security personnel are sometimes put on high alert because we’re such an accessible building.” Gondek said what is most needed to prevent safety issues like this is more mental health funding from the provincial government. “We need help. We need our provincial partners to really step up and give us the mental health support, the health care support that we need.”
