Ontario SIU clears officer who fired anti-riot weapon at Renfrew man but finds possible policy breaches

Ontario’s police watchdog says an Ontario Provincial Police officer will not face criminal charges for firing an anti-riot weapon at a man in Renfrew in April, but the officer might have violated OPP policy and the Special Investigations Unit Act with regards to other actions at the time of the incident.

OPP officers had responded to a call for a domestic disturbance at a home on Munroe Avenue East in Renfrew on April 10. The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) says the man had cut off his GPS ankle monitor, and officers were told he might have a knife. The man also allegedly threatened to cut a family member’s head off.

“Officers found the man hiding between two homes. Shortly after a struggle ensued between the man and an officer, another officer fired an Anti-Riot Weapon Enfield (ARWEN) projectile at close range into the chest of the man,” the SIU said in a news release on Friday.

The SIU report said the man winced in pain, fell, and was handcuffed, but he was not seriously injured.

SIU Director Joseph Martino said there is no basis for proceeding with criminal charges in this case.

He noted, however, possible breaches of the Special Investigations Unit Act and OPP policy in the moments before and after the arrest.

“In possible contravention of sections 18 and 20 of the Act, the SO (subject officer) picked up the ARWEN projectile and cartridge case and removed them from the scene, despite knowing the incident was a matter for SIU investigation,” the report states. “In apparent violation of OPP policy regarding body-worn camera, the SO, WO (witness officer) #1 and WO #4 did not activate their cameras when they ought to have been activated, thus depriving the SIU of important evidence.”

Martino wrote that this kind of conduct jeopardizes the integrity of SIU investigations and the SIU’s independence and credibility.

“I will be raising this matter in my reporting letter to the OPP Commissioner,” Martino said. “I will also be referring the matter to the Law Enforcement Complaints Agency.”

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