News Release

News Release

SIU Concludes Investigation into Man’s Shooting Death in Windsor

Case Number: 22-OFD-207   

Other News Releases Related to Case 22-OFD-207

SIU Investigating Police-Involved Shooting of Man in Windsor
Update: SIU Investigating Police-Involved Shooting Death of Man in Windsor

Mississauga, ON (13 December, 2022) ---
The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, has found no reasonable grounds to believe that a Windsor Police Service officer committed a criminal offence in connection with fatally shooting a 70-year-old man.

On August 15, 2022, the man was swinging a machete at vehicles in the intersection of Wyandotte Street and Ouellette Avenue. Two officers on bicycles arrived and repeatedly ordered the man to drop the weapon. The man hit a vehicle with the machete and advanced at officers. One officer discharged a Conducted Energy Weapon at the man. He continued to approach officers, and raised the machete above his head. Another officer shot the man once, striking him in the stomach. The man was handcuffed and transported to hospital, where he died.

Director Martino was unable to reasonably conclude that the subject official acted with excess when he chose to meet an imminent lethal threat with a resort to lethal force of his own. In the result, as there were no reasonable grounds to believe that the officer comported himself other than within the limits of the criminal law throughout his engagement with the man, there was no basis for proceeding with charges in this case.  
 
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.

Monica Hudon, siu.media@ontario.ca
SIU Communications/Service des communications, UES