A Hamilton police officer will not face any charges in relation to a shooting that left a 36-year-old man dead in September 2016 after the Special Investigations Unit said “there are no reasonable grounds.”
On September 30, 2016 Hamilton police officers were called to a bar on Catharine Street North at around 11 p.m. for a report of an assault that took place outside of the bar.
After the incident, the SIU said that police were informed at the time of the assault that a suspect involved was armed with a gun.
Shortly after receiving this information, an officer came into contact with a man believed to be involved in the assault while walking on James Street near the Hamilton GO Station.
During this interaction, the SIU said the man – later identified as Anthony Divers – was shot. Divers was then rushed to hospital but succumbed to his injuries upon arrival.
Following the fatal shooting, the SIU said they assigned seven investigators and three forensic investigators to the case.
In a news release issued on Thursday, the SIU said their director, Tony Loparco, has determined there are no reasonable grounds to lay criminal charges against the officer involved.
Since no charges were laid in relation to the fatal shooting, a report issued by Loparco was delivered to the Attorney General, as per the Police Services Act.
The SIU is an arms-length agency that investigates any interaction between an Ontario police officer and a member of the public that results in death, serious injury or an allegation of sexual assault.
