Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit has identified the victim in a police-involved shooting in Haliburton County in July.
On Thursday, the SIU said Leslie Hegedus, 73, was the individual who was fatally shot on July 15 in Haliburton County during an “interaction” with OPP officers outside a residence on Indian Point Road, just north of Haliburton.
The SIU had submitted a DNA sample to the Centre of Forensic Sciences to establish a possible next-of-kin and the results were received this week, the SIU stated Thursday.
The SIU say the investigation into the death of Hegedus is ongoing. Investigators seized a semi-automatic rifle and a pistol from the scene and the firearms of two police officers were also secured.
Both the SIU and OPP confirm the Hegedus had assaulted employees at Easton’s Valu-mart grocery store on Highway 35 in Minden earlier that same morning following a dispute over wearing a face mask.
Officers followed Hegedus who drove away and led them to his residence.
OPP have claimed “shots were fired” at the Indian Point Road address, which caused the “responding police to request additional officers.”
The SIU on Thursday said to date five civilian witnesses and four witness officers have been interviewed. Another officer was designated as a witness officer, but investigators only requested the notes.
A post-mortem was conducted on July 17, and the SIU is in possession of those results.
The SIU say a firearm that was collected at the scene as well as the firearms of the two subject officers were sent to the CFS for analysis, and investigators are awaiting those results.
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