News Release
No Charges Against Chatham-Kent Officer in Shooting of Man
Case Number: 21-OFI-293
Other News Releases Related to Case 21-OFI-293
SIU Investigating Police-Involved Shooting of Man in Chatham-Kent
The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, has found no reasonable grounds to believe that a Chatham-Kent Police Service officer committed a criminal offence in connection with the shooting and serious injuries suffered by a 63-year-old man in Tilbury last September.
On September 5, 2021, officers responded to a call involving a man reportedly armed with guns. Officers saw the man exit his garage holding a crowbar. After refusing repeated requests to drop the crowbar, two officers discharged their Conducted Energy Weapons. The man dropped the crowbar and removed his hand from his jacket holding an object, pointing it at officers. An officer discharged his firearm at the man four times. He was struck by two bullets. The officers administered first aid until paramedics arrived.
Director Martino found that the subject official’s use of lethal force was not unreasonable as he had reason to believe the man was pointing a firearm at another officer whose life was in imminent danger. 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