Ontario's police watchdog has cleared an OPP officer of any wrongdoing in the shooting of a man in Northumberland County in February.
this Special Investigation Team Investigation launched after man shot dead Northumberland OPP Officials on February 10. In his report, Southern Illinois University Chief Joseph Martino said the officer and two other officers responded to a 911 call in the early morning hours of Feb. 10 regarding a domestic dispute at a residence in Northumberland County.
The caller said her husband was drunk and beat her, then pulled out a long gun and started shooting in the basement.
The Bureau of Special Investigations said the man was sitting on the front porch steps with a rifle and ammunition next to him when officers arrived.
The officer tried to engage the man in conversation, but he said he did not want to talk and mentioned committing suicide or “letting the police kill him.” He refused to drop the gun, Martino said.
The officer traded positions with other officers and went to the back of the house to help the woman get to safety, Martino said.
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The Special Investigations Bureau said the man re-entered the house about 1:45 a.m., walked to the front porch, raised his rifle and fired one shot.
“It's not clear at this point whether he shot at an officer,” Martino said. “Within 30 to 60 seconds of that shooting, maybe as little as 10 seconds based on the evidence, there was another shooting.”
The special investigations unit chief said the second shot was fired by the officer, who struck the man in the lower abdomen. The officer approached and detained him.
“He complained that he had not been shot high enough and explained that he wished for 'suicide by cop,'” Martino reported.
The investigation included an interview with the woman, notes from two officers who witnessed the incident, in-car camera footage and recorded communications. Martino said based on the evidence collected, there was no reasonable cause to believe the officer committed a criminal offense.
He said police had the power to “reasonably” take necessary steps to prevent harm to residents and ensure public safety, particularly given the incident involved a gun.
He said those circumstances “strongly suggest” the officer acted to protect himself and his colleagues from harm after initially trying to de-escalate the situation and ensure the safety of other officers and the women in the house.
“I believe this shooting was the last in a series of actions consistent with the emergency situation at the time,” he said.
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