SIU ends investigation into Port Hope cop that shot at stolen vehicle and was hit by ricocheting bullet
Ontario’s police watchdog has ended its investigation into the actions of a Port Hope police officer who was injured by a ricocheting bullet after shooting at a stolen vehicle in a McDonald’s restaurant drive through this past summer.
Officers were initially dispatched to the drive through on Rose Glen Road just before 5 p.m. on July 30 after police received information that a stolen vehicle and a wanted man were present at the location.
The SIU says that officers attempted to arrest the 29-year-old driver by “blocking him in with their vehicles and directing him to turn off the engine.”
However, the SIU says that the suspect attempted to flee and as he did an officer “took aim at the driver’s side wheel and shot her firearm.”
The bullet then ricocheted off the wheel and struck the officer in the face, the SIU said.
Police have previously said that the officer was taken to hospital and treated and released on the same day.
The suspect was later arrested and charged with four offences, including flight from police.
The SIU were initially investigating but in a news release issued on Thursday, Director Joseph Martino confirmed that the matter falls outside of their jurisdiction.
The SIU investigation has been discontinued as a result.
“Based on video footage and utterances made by another officer in the immediate aftermath of the shooting, it established the officer fired in the direction of the wheel, not the driver. As such, it does not appear that the matter falls within the SIU’s statutory jurisdiction,” Martino said.
In a separate statement, the Port Hope Police Service said that it will review the incident “in its entirety.”
The police service added that the wellness of the officer has been its “priority” to date.
“The support from all members of the Port Hope Police Service will continue,” the statement notes. “Policing is an extremely challenging profession, and our officers are faced with split second decisions based on previous experiences as well as their training.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canadian former Olympic snowboarder wanted in Ontario double homicide: DOJ
A Canadian former Olympic snowboarder who is suspected of being the leader of a transnational drug trafficking group that operated in four countries is wanted for allegedly orchestrating the murder of an 'innocent' couple in Ontario in 2023, authorities say.
Ontario school board trustees under fire for $100K religious art purchase on Italy trip
Trustees with an Ontario school board are responding to criticism over a $45,000 trip to Italy, where they purchased more than $100,000 worth of religious statues.
A photographer snorkeled for hours to take this picture
Shane Gross, a Canadian marine conservation photojournalist, has won the title of Wildlife Photographer of the Year.
Tobacco giants would pay out $32.5 billion to provinces, smokers in proposed deal
Three tobacco giants are proposing to pay close to $25 billion to provinces and territories and more than $4 billion to some 100,000 Quebec smokers and their loved ones as part of a corporate restructuring process triggered by a long-running legal battle.
More Trudeau cabinet ministers not running for re-election, sources say shuffle expected soon
Federal cabinet ministers Filomena Tassi, Carla Qualtrough and Dan Vandal announced Thursday they will not run for re-election. Senior government sources tell CTV News at least one other, Marie-Claude Bibeau, doesn't plan to run again, setting the stage for Justin Trudeau to shuffle his cabinet in the coming weeks.
Robert Pickton's handwritten book seized after his death in hopes of uncovering new evidence
A handwritten book was seized from B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton's prison cell following his death earlier this year, raising hopes of uncovering new evidence in a series of unprosecuted murders.
Former members of One Direction say they're 'completely devastated' by Liam Payne's death
The former members of English boy band One Direction reacted publicly to the sudden death of their bandmate, Liam Payne, for the first time on Thursday, saying in a joint statement that they're 'completely devastated.'
Israel says it has killed top Hamas leader Yayha Sinwar in Gaza
Israeli forces in Gaza killed top Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, a chief architect of last year's attack on Israel that sparked the war, the military said Thursday. Troops appeared to have run across him unknowingly in a battle, only to discover afterwards that a body in the rubble was Israel's most wanted man.
Indian government employee charged in foiled murder-for-hire plot in New York City
The U.S. Justice Department announced criminal charges Thursday against an Indian government employee in connection with a foiled plot to kill a Sikh separatist leader living in New York City.