Timmins police officer cleared for shooting suspect during arrest
A 31-year-old man was shot during an arrest last fall and now Ontario's Special Investigations Unit has cleared the Timmins police officer responsible of any wrongdoing.
The officer responsible was on patrol when he reportedly saw the suspect run from a residence on Commercial Avenue around 1:25 a.m. Oct. 31. Around that time, the resident called police to report a break-in in progress and said that someone he didn't know broke the side window of his house by throwing a beer bottle at it, the director's report of the incident said.
The suspect was seen meeting up with another man and a woman on the street before getting into a vehicle and driving away, the report said. The responding officer pulled them over nearby at the intersection of Rea Street and Bannerman Avenue.
Another officer arrived and during the arrest, one man ran away on foot while the suspect fought with the two officers trading punches. At one point during the fight, the suspect pulled out a Ruger pistol shot twice at the officers and was then shot in the lower back by one of them when he tried to get away.
The man sustained serious injuries in the shooting and was taken to hospital by paramedics. He had surgery for a fractured spine as a result of the incident.
Video footage from both of the officer's vehicles as well as surveillance footage from a home on Rea Street South was used as evidence in the decision.
The female driver was arrested without incident and a canine track was conducted for the second man that fled.
No injuries to the police officers were mentioned in the incident report.
Because the suspect shot at the officers first, the SIU director, Joseph Martino, said the officer was justified in shooting him in order to protect himself and his colleague and no criminal charges will be laid.
"On my assessment of the evidence, there are no reasonable grounds to believe that the (subject officer) committed a criminal offence in connection with the shooting," Martino said in his decision. "I am satisfied that the force used by the officers during the struggle was reasonably necessary pursuant to section 25(1) of the criminal code. More specifically, in the context of an individual determined to break free from the officers, and whose resistance escalated to the point of producing a firearm despite the several punches to the head delivered by (witnessing officer) #2 and the (subject officer), the evidence not does establish that the force used by the officers during this time was excessive."
Read the full report here.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canada to launch 'national action plan' to fight auto theft
The federal government is launching what it calls its 'national action plan' to combat auto thefts, which will include stronger penalties for thieves, and increased information sharing between police agencies, government officials and border enforcement.
U.S. Supreme Court rejects appeal from former Guantanamo detainee Omar Khadr
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected an appeal by a Canadian-born former Guantanamo detainee who was seeking to wipe away his war crimes convictions, including for killing a U.S. soldier in Afghanistan.
What is BORG drinking, and why is it a dangerous trend? An expert explains
If you've been to a party lately and haven't seen someone drinking a BORG, you're likely not partying with college students.
Iran's president and foreign minister die in helicopter crash at moment of high tensions in Mideast
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and the country's foreign minister were found dead Monday hours after their helicopter crashed in fog, leaving the Islamic Republic without two key leaders as extraordinary tensions grip the wider Middle East.
Michael Cohen says he stole from Trump's company as defence presses key hush money trial witness
Former Donald Trump attorney Michael Cohen admitted Monday to jurors in the Republican's hush money trial that he stole tens of thousands of dollars from Trump's company as defence lawyers seized on the star witness' misdeeds to attack his credibility.
The world's best airline is paying staff a bonus of 8 months' salary
Singapore Airlines will reward its employees with a bonus worth nearly eight months of salary, a person familiar with the matter told CNN on Friday.
Woman, 35, in critical condition after her truck collided with a Via Rail train near Montreal
A 35-year-old woman is in critical condition after the pick-up truck she was driving was struck by a Via Rail passenger train Monday morning in Quebec's Monteregie region.
Investors watching posts from 'Crypto King' in the wake of fraud, money laundering charges
Former investors of the self-styled “Crypto King” say they are watching his social media accounts and worried his displays of wealth are signs he’s spending their money, even now, as another large expense tied to Aiden Pleterski has triggered a previously unreported lawsuit.
Almost 2 months after it destroyed Baltimore's Key Bridge, the Dali cargo ship has been moved
The cargo ship Dali is being moved from the site of its catastrophic collision with the Francis Scott Key Bridge in a crucial step toward fully reopening the busy Port of Baltimore.