Officer who shot an armed man in 2021 won't be charged: SIU
An officer with the Waterloo Regional Police Service won't face charges in connection to the 2021 shooting of a 19-year-old man in Kitchener, as the SIU determined the victim wanted to provoke the officer into killing him.
Ontario's Special Investigation Unit announced their decision on Friday and said there was "no reasonable grounds to believe that the officer comported himself other than lawfully throughout his engagement" with the victim.
At around 6:50 p.m. on August 18, police received a report of a man in distress near the Laurentian Power Centre at Ottawa Street South and Strasburg Road. They said when officers arrived, the man drove his vehicle into a police cruiser. He threatened the officer with a knife, then got out of the vehicle and jumped over the hood of the cruiser, before chasing the officer.
A photo of the WRPS cruiser and the vehicle belonging to the man taken from the SIU's report.
The SIU's report said when the man ignored commands to stop, the officer fired his gun once and the man was hit in the right knee, causing him to collapse onto the ground. He then got back up and charged at the officer. The SIU said the officer fired another shot, followed by seven more as the man continued to follow him.
The officer then fell and dropped his gun. The man picked it up "momentarily" before the officer approached him from behind and a physical altercation ensued. The two struggled until other officers arrived on scene and took the man into custody.
The man was transported to hospital with gunshot wounds to his left arm, as well as his left and right legs. His injuries were considered non-life threatening.
The SIU's report said a black-handled butcher-style knife, approximately 34 centimetres long, and a handwritten note were found at the scene.
A photo of the knife the man was carrying during his interaction with WRPS from the SIU's report.
Investigators determined that the man had decided to end his life by provoking a police officer into shooting him. His plan, according the SIU report, was to purchase a vehicle and drive it without license plates. When stopped by police, he intended to threaten the officer with a knife, forcing them to shoot him.
The report goes on to say that the man's family learned of his plan through his social media posts and contacted police.
The handwritten note was addressed to "Officers and Friends and Family" and, according to the SIU, apologized to the police officer "he hoped and planned would ultimately kill him."
The SIU determined that "there is little doubt that the [officer] acted with proportionate and reasonable force when he sought to defend himself from a knife attack with lethal force of his own."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
RCMP not investigating possible foreign interference cases related to Chiu, Dong: Duheme
Canada's federal police force is not investigating any possible instances of foreign interference in the cases of former Conservative MP Kenny Chiu and Liberal-turned-Independent MP Han Dong, RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme says.
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
Stormy Daniels took the witness stand Tuesday at Donald Trump's hush money trial, describing for jurors a sexual encounter the porn actor says she had with him in 2006 that resulted in her being paid off to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Air France flight from Paris to Seattle lands in Iqaluit after heat smell in cabin
A plane travelling from Paris to Seattle was forced to make an emergency landing in Iqaluit after there was a heat smell in the cabin during the flight.
CFL suspends Argos QB Chad Kelly at least nine games following investigation
The CFL suspended Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly for at least nine regular-season games Tuesday following its investigation into a lawsuit filed by a former strength-and-conditioning coach against both the player and club.
Boy Scouts of America changing name for first time in 114 years, aiming for inclusivity
The Boy Scouts of America is changing its name for the first time in its 114-year history and will become Scouting America. It's a significant shift as the organization emerges from bankruptcy following a flood of sexual abuse claims and seeks to focus on inclusion.
Federal government grants B.C.'s request to recriminalize hard drugs in public spaces
The federal government is granting British Columbia's request to recriminalize hard drugs in public spaces, nearly two weeks after the province asked to end its pilot project early over concerns of public drug use.
opinion Tom Mulcair: Trudeau's handling of Poilievre's 'wacko' House turfing a clear sign of Liberal desperation
When Speaker Greg Fergus tossed out Pierre Poilievre from the House last week, "those of us who have experience as parliamentarians simply couldn't believe our eyes," writes former NDP leader Tom Mulcair in his column for CTVNews.ca