TIMMINS - The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) confirmed Saturday night they're investigating the circumstances surrounding the shooting death of a man earlier that morning in Timmins.
According to a release, preliminary information suggests that at approximately 10:15 a.m. on Saturday, officers with the Timmins Police Service responded to the Emergency Medical Services building - located at 500 Algonquin Blvd. East – to deal with a man.
When the man fled from the officers, they followed him. There was an interaction between the man and officers and one of the officers discharged a firearm. The man was struck. He was taken to hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
At this time, three investigators and three forensic investigators have been assigned to the incident. One subject officers and seven witness officers have been designated, stated the release.
The names of the officer involved and the late suspect have not been released.
Monica Hudon, a spokesperson for the SIU, explained in an email Sunday that they will only release the name of the person who died if they have permission from next of kin.
“I do not have that consent at this time,” wrote Hudon.
She added that the officers' names are not released while investigations are ongoing, however, if a criminal charge is laid against an officer, their name would be released.
Hudon said it's difficult to estimate how long SIU investigators will be in Timmins.
“They will be there as long as it takes to gather all the evidence and complete interviews,” she said.
“As each case has its own requirements and procedures, it is not possible to say how long any investigation will take. Length of time is dependent on how long it takes to locate witnesses and interview them, collecting all evidence and awaiting reports from external agencies. While investigators attempt to complete investigations as expeditiously as possible, the priority is to conduct a thorough investigation.”
The SIU is urging anyone who may have information about this investigation to contact the lead investigator at 1-800-787-8529. The Unit is also urging anyone who may have any video evidence related to this incident to upload that video through the SIU website.
Witness James Mongrain told The Daily Press Saturday he saw the incident from across Gillies Lake. He said he saw an officer use a conductive energy device, at which point the suspect began moving towards the officer. That's when he heard three shots.
"It was pretty scary," said Mongrain.
Timmins Police Service (TPS) vehicles were on the scene at Gillies Lake and outside the Cochrane District Social Services Administration Board building for some time Saturday.
A portion of the L24, a snowmobile trail, remains closed as of the publishing of this article, according to the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs website. The closed portion runs from Brunette Road to Highway 655.
TPS issued a statement Saturday afternoon.
"At approximately 10 a.m., an incident occurred in the area of Brunette Road and James Avenue. The scene is being held by police," the release stated.
"Please note that public safety is not a concern. The public is asked to avoid the area to allow for further investigation."
The area includes the parking lot of the Cochrane District Social Services Administration Board and the parking lot of Gillies Lake, as of Saturday afternoon.
The Special Investigations Unit has invoked its mandate, therefore no further information is available, stated the TPS release, which noted that all further releases will come from the SIU.
Jean Carriere, the chief for the Cochrane District Emergency Medical Services, posted to Twitter on Saturday.
“Our paramedics (were) involved in an incident this morning at our main station in Timmins,” wrote Carriere. “All are safe, thanks to their professionalism and the quick response from Timmins Police.”
The SIU is an arm’s length agency that investigates reports involving police where there has been death, serious injury or allegations of sexual assault. Under the Police Services Act, the Director of the SIU must consider whether an officer has committed a criminal offense in connection with the incident under investigation, depending on the evidence, lay a criminal charge against the officer if appropriate or close the file without any charges being laid and report the results of any investigations to the Attorney General.
Facebook
Twitter