Ontario’s police watchdog has found no wrongdoing by an officer involved in a deadly shooting near Port Elgin.
On February 21, OPP officers were looking for a 48-year-old man who was suspected of several residential break-ins, vehicle thefts, an assault, and stealing a firearm.
The suspect was located near Port Elgin but took off in a stolen SUV. An officer began chasing the vehicle after it sped past tire-deflation devices set up in the area.
The man lost control of the SUV and crashed into a snowbank. Armed with a shotgun, he approached a nearby home, threatened the residents, and demanded their car keys, according to the Special Investigations Unit.
By this time, officers had arrived at the scene. An officer with a rifle ran toward the driver’s side of the vehicle and instructed the man to show his hands, as stated by the SIU.
The man raised his empty hands. The officer then opened the driver’s door just as the man retrieved his shotgun and aimed it at him, according to the SIU.
The officer fired multiple rounds from his rifle. The man was taken to the hospital but was later pronounced dead there.
After reviewing all evidence, SIU director Joseph Martino concluded there were no reasonable grounds to believe that the officer committed any criminal offense related to the man’s death.
The SIU investigates incidents involving police that result in serious injury or death, firearm discharges, or allegations of sexual assault.
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