Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU) says it has started an investigation after an Ottawa Police Service officer used an anti-riot weapon on a man deemed to be in distress.
The 43-year-old man was not seriously injured, the SIU said in a Dec. 27 news release.
At around 10:35 a.m. on Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, members of the Ottawa Police Service responded to a home on Cornell Street where a man was reported to be in distress. At the scene, officers attempted to negotiate with the man, according to the release.
An officer then fired an Anti-Riot Weapon Enfield (ARWEN), which is considered a less-lethal weapon. The projectile from the weapon hit the man, the SIU said.
He was taken to hospital and was admitted under the Mental Health Act.
Although the man was not seriously injured, the SIU said it launched an investigation as the ARWEN is considered a firearm and it is part of the organization’s mandate to investigate when such weapons are involved.
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It said that a firearm is defined as a barrelled weapon where a shot, bullet, or projectile can be discharged and it is capable of causing serious injury or even death to an individual.
Two investigators and a forensic investigator will be handling the case, SIU said.
The SIU has asked anyone who may have some information about the investigation to contact them at 1-800-787-8529 or online at https://siu.on.ca/en/appeals.php.
The SIU is also investigating a similar incident that happened a few days earlier, on Dec. 20 in Seaforth, Huron County.
Ontario Provincial Police officers were responding to a call of a 26-year-old man in distress at a home in that community around 3:30 p.m., a Dec. 21 SIU news release said.
Officers with the tactics and rescue unit and crisis negotiators attempted to negotiate with the man, according to the release.
Police were able to enter the home and found the man. SIU said a knife was believed to be involved, but did not offer further details.
One of the officers fired an ARWEN at the man, twice, the release said.
The man was arrested under the Mental Health Act. He was taken to the hospital but did not suffer any serious injuries, according to SIU.
SIU has asked anyone with information that may help investigators, including video or photos, to contact them.
