SIU clears OPP officer in fatal shooting of Orillia man

A heavy police presence in Orillia, Ont., on Thurs., Nov. 7, 2024 (Courtesy: Connor Earl Productions)

The province’s police watchdog has cleared an Ontario Provincial Police officer of wrongdoing after a 26-year-old man was shot and killed in Orillia last fall.

According to the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), there are no reasonable grounds to believe the officer committed a criminal offence in connection with the shooting on Nov. 7, 2024.

The report states the incident happened after officers responded to a call about an assault near Barrie Road in Orillia. It notes a 911 caller had reported that a man had assaulted a maintenance worker before leaving the scene with a dog.

Not long after, an OPP officer located the suspect on Cochrane Street. The SIU says the officer got out of his cruiser and tried to arrest the man, who “turned to face the officer with the knife in his right hand.”

The report states the man “swung the weapon down at the officer.”

SIU says the officer was stabbed in the shoulder during the struggle. Investigators report the officer drew his gun and fired several rounds while trying to defend himself.

Both the officer and the man were taken to the hospital, where the man was pronounced dead. The officer suffered injuries to his shoulder and foot.

The report confirms the man died from multiple gunshot wounds.

SIU Director Joseph Martino ruled the officer’s actions were justified under the circumstances. He concluded that the officer had “faced a life-and-death decision” and “cannot be faulted for having chosen his firearm” when he was confronted with a knife attack.

The SIU, an independent civilian agency, investigates all cases in Ontario where police actions result in serious injury, death, or allegations of sexual assault.