A day-long hostage-taking that started with hundreds of office workers fleeing a disgruntled gunman ended peacefully Wednesday evening with no injuries.
About 10 hours after the drama at the Workers' Compensation Board began, Edmonton police spokesman Dean Parthenis announced the armed man had surrendered without incident.
"All hostages were unharmed," said Parthenis.
As officers started taking down barricades that had closed off a wide swath of the downtown near the Alberta legislature for most of the day, Insp. Terry Rochhio told reporters at the scene that eight people in all had been held.
Rochhio would not release the gunman's name or age, but described him as a disgruntled client who simply wanted a chance to tell his story.
Police negotiators convinced the man to let the hostages go one by one throughout the day, with the last one being set free just half an hour before the gunman gave himself up.
The incident began when the man, armed with a rifle, charged into the WCB offices on the eighth floor about 8:45 a.m. Wednesday morning.
As floor after floor of workers fled the building, some barricaded their doors. Police moved in an and initiated negotiations with the suspect.
"We found out that there was a guy in there with a gun," said one woman on the fourth floor who would only give the first name Nadia. "Then we saw the police officers and then we found out that he was on the eighth floor and we started evacuating.
"I really didn't think about it. I just started leaving ... I've got goosebumps just thinking about it."
Most of the building was emptied soon after police arrived, and Nadia said the evacuation was orderly. Board workers are trained how to handle such situations, she added.
Workers who locked themselves in offices on the fifth floor for a period of time and nervously peered out their windows were safely escorted away a few hours later.
One of the people from the fifth floor, Bethanne O'Neil, said the group barricaded the doors as a precaution, sharing cellphones to call loved ones. They read horoscopes and a newspaper to pass the time.
O'Neil said most of the board managers were away from the building at a conference.
"We all stayed calm. We knew it was under control. We knew the SWAT team was there and the police were going to look after things. I wasn't that worried."
People who live in the same assisted-living facility as the hostage-taker watched the situation and worried. Police did not release the man's name, but friend Don Bellerose said people in the facility became aware that it was one of their fellow residents and word spread quickly.
Bellerose said the man sent a text message to one of the nurses at the facility saying he was going to settle a score with the WCB on Wednesday morning, but nobody suspected it would come to this.
The gunman was working in the concrete industry when he was injured on the job, Bellerose said. He was cut off benefits and had recently threatened to jump off a bridge into the North Saskatchewan River.
"He's going through a lot of problems right now. In the recent past he has had a lot of problems with workman's compensation, but on top of that his wife is taking him to court for custody of his kids.
"It's all anger - all anger."
Throughout the day, police negotiators stressed they would take their time talking to the man, said police spokesman Jeff Wuite.
"We feel quite positive, now that we have opened the lines of communication, that we do have an opportunity to bring this to a peaceful conclusion," he said earlier in the day.
"It's important to point out that we are in no hurry right now. We don't want to rush anything. We want to talk to this guy, find out what his problems are and help him deal with that so everyone can walk out of that building safely."
Wuite didn't not have many details, but they slowly trickled out throughout the morning.
A radio station said the man was carrying a high-powered hunting rifle and was asking for water and cigarettes in exchange for a hostage. There was an early report that a shot had been fired in the lobby, but Wuite couldn't confirm that.
The gunman was said to be wearing a camouflage jacket and carrying a backpack. The hostages were apparently being held in a conference room on the upper floor.
Employees said security is usually tight at the building, which routinely deals with protests by disgruntled clients. Guards are posted at the doors and people are not allowed inside without a security pass.
Dayna Therien, a board spokeswoman, said she wasn't sure how the gunman got inside or if he confronted the guards.
"Security was on duty. I don't have any details on what happened. I'm not sure how he got into the building," she said.
