The province’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU) is looking into an incident in which a man was shot by police with an anti-riot weapon Friday in Orillia.
At about 4:30 a.m., police responded to The Lighthouse at 75 Queen St. for “a person in crisis,” the SIU said in a news release. Officers arrived to find a 33-year-old man on the roof, threatening to harm himself.
The man came down from the roof after a couple of hours, and there was “an interaction” with police. An officer fired his Anti-Riot Weapon Enfield, striking the man, who was arrested and taken to hospital.
“While the man did not sustain any serious injury, the SIU’s mandate was invoked because a police officer discharged an ARWEN, which is classified as a firearm,” the SIU stated. “Under the Special Investigations Unit Act, a firearm is defined as a barrelled weapon from which any shot, bullet or other projectile can be discharged and that is capable of causing serious bodily injury or death to a person.”
Anyone with information about this investigation, including video or photos, is asked to contact the lead SIU investigator at 1-800-787-8529 or provide information at siu.on.ca/en/appeals.php.
