News Release
No Charges Against OPP Officers in Shooting Death of Man near Northumberland
Case Number: 21-PFD-107
Other News Releases Related to Case 21-PFD-107
The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, has found no reasonable grounds to believe that two Ontario Provincial Police officers committed a criminal offence in connection with the shooting death of a 43-year-old man last April near Northumberland.
On April 6, 2021, police responded after a 911 call was received relating to the man’s aggressive behaviour on the roadway at County Road 25 and Tobacco Road. The man had threatened motorists and assaulted a driver. Once police arrived, he threated an officer. The man retrieved a baseball bat and advanced on the officers, striking a police cruiser with the bat. The man then entered a pickup truck and drove at the cruisers. Following a brief pursuit, the man’s truck was forced into a ditch by a police vehicle. The man exited the vehicle and ignored officers’ repeated commands to drop the bat. He continued towards an officer and was shot four times by the officer. Another officer, at about the same time, discharged a firearm at the man once. Officers administered first aid and paramedics attended. The man was pronounced dead at the scene.
Director Martino concluded that there was insufficient evidence to reasonably believe that either subject official acted without legal justification when they shot at the man. Accordingly, the file has been closed.
Full Director’s Report (with Incident Narrative, Evidence, and Analysis & Director’s Decision):
The SIU is an independent government agency that investigates the conduct of officials (police officers as well as special constables with the Niagara Parks Commission and peace officers with the Legislative Protective Service) that may have resulted in death, serious injury, sexual assault and/or the discharge of a firearm at a person. All investigations are conducted by SIU investigators who are civilians. Under the Special Investigations Unit Act, the Director of the SIU must
- consider whether the official has committed a criminal offence in connection with the incident under investigation
- depending on the evidence, cause a criminal charge to be laid against the official where grounds exist for doing so, or close the file without any charges being laid
- publicly report the results of its investigations
Lisez ce communiqué en français.
Kristy Denette, siu.media@ontario.ca
SIU Communications/Service des communications, UES