On July 21, 2016, the Niagara Regional Police Service (NRP) say they received notification that the Ontario Special Investigations Unit (SIU) had concluded the investigation of a shooting incident that occurred on October 10, 2015 at the Canboro Gardens apartment complex located at 704 Canboro Rd., Fenwick. Two NRP officers and one male subject were wounded by gunfire during this incident.
In a conclusion letter provided to the police service, SIU Acting Director Joseph Martino noted the “clear and compelling” evidence in his determination that there were no reasonable grounds to believe that any of the involved police officers had committed a criminal offence during this incident. Acting Director Martino further noted, “In the circumstances, I am satisfied that the officers were faced with a clear and present danger (as the male) stepped from his apartment and started shooting in their direction, and that they were well within their rights in responding with gunfire of their own. Indeed, it seems likely that (the male) would have killed one or more of the officers had they not reacted as quickly and as forcefully as they did with their own weapons.”
The circumstances of this occurrence remain under criminal investigation by the NRP Homicide Unit with respect to the alleged actions of the involved male subject. In order to preserve the integrity of this ongoing investigation, the NRP is precluded from releasing further specific information at this time.
Regarding the conclusion of the SIU investigation, Chief of Police Jeff McGuire noted,” The officers that responded to this call knew they faced a dangerous situation. Despite this knowledge, they maintained their positions and acted in accordance with their training, evacuating nearby residents and containing the subject within his apartment. It was only when the subject male chose to engage the officers that they took action to preserve their own lives.
We are extremely proud of the heroism displayed by the involved officers during this incident, and the members of this Service will continue to support them as they recover from this experience and return to regular duties.”
The involved officers have expressed their appreciation for the assistance of the Service and the ongoing support of their families and friends, colleagues and members of the community. They ask that their continued privacy be respected at this time.
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