SIU clears officer of wrongdoing in Kipps Lane standoff

London police are on scene of a "weapons investigation" at 621 Kipps Lane in London, Ont. on March 11, 2023. (Sean Irvine/CTV News London)

The province’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU) has cleared a London, Ont. police officer of wrongdoing after a suspect was seriously injured during his arrest following a 12-hour-long standoff on Kipps Lane in March of this year.

DETAILS OF THE STANDOFF

At approximately 5 a.m. on March 11, 2023, a man suffering from serious stab wounds was discovered at an apartment building located at 621 Kipps Ln. in London. The victim, 41-year-old Joel A. Cameron, later died of his injuries.

What ensued afterwards was a 12-hour-long standoff between London police and the accused, 42-year-old Adrian Neil Campbell, who barricaded himself in his sixth floor apartment.

According to the SIU, at approximately 7:36 p.m. later that day police forced open the suspect’s bedroom door. Armed with a shotgun, the suspect fired his weapon at the officers. Two officers were struck, causing injuries to an eye, left hand, left temple and right forearm.

Police immediately withdrew from the apartment while the two injured officers were transported to hospital. They were later released from hospital days after the standoff.

At approximately 7:36 p.m., police deployed rounds of tear gas into the suspect’s bedroom. Suffering from the effects of the tear gas, the SIU said the suspect then surrendered and followed police orders to rid himself of the shotgun.

When the suspect walked to the front door of the apartment, he was grabbed by police and taken to the floor. The officer in question then “kneed and punched” the suspect on the ground, and assisted in handcuffing him behind his back, according to the SIU.

Following his arrest, the SIU said the suspect was taken to hospital and diagnosed with a fracture to his left forearm.

The suspect has since been charged with second degree murder and two counts of attempted murder.

THE SIU’S DETERMINATION

On Tuesday, SIU Director Joseph Martino, issued his determination and that while the suspect was “seriously injured” during the arrest, “there are no reasonable grounds to believe that the [officer] committed a criminal offence in connection with the complainant’s arrest and injury.”

Martino went on to explain that given the suspect’s history of violence that day in which he allegedly was responsible for the death of Joel A. Cameron and fired a shotgun at two police officers, seriously injuring both of them, “the [officer] would reasonably have been concerned that the complainant might still be armed and capable of causing further harm even after seeming to surrender to police.”

Coupled with a second officer assisting in the arrest and who reportedly had trouble securing control of the suspect’s left arm, Martino said “it makes sense that the [officer] would want to resort to a series of strikes to deter any further aggression pending the complainant’s restraint in handcuffs.”

“In the result, whether or not the complainant’s injury was incurred in the altercation that marked his arrest, there are no reasonable grounds to conclude that the [officer] comported himself other than within the limits of the criminal law throughout their engagement,” Martino concluded.

None of the allegations against the suspect have yet been proven in court.

The SIU is an independent authority responsible for investigating the conduct of officials, such as police, that resulted in death, serious injury, sexual assault, or the discharge of a weapon at another person.

— With files from CTV News London's Sean Irvine