The province’s Special Investigations Unit says a man has been fatally shot following an “interaction” with OPP officers in Northumberland County on Tuesday morning.
The incident occurred on County Road 25, east of the hamlet of Castleton in Cramahe Township, about 40 kilometres northeast of Cobourg.
The 43-year-old man has not been identified.
According to the SIU, around 10:15 a.m., OPP officers were dispatched to the area of County Road 25 and Tobacco Road after an individual reported that a man was sitting in his parked car and yelling at people.
“Soon after officers arrived and located the man, the man approached the officers and was in possession of a baseball bat. The man struck one of the cruisers,” the SIU stated.
It’s alleged the man then got into his vehicle and drove towards the officers.
Soon after, the man exited the vehicle again and an “interaction” ensued.
The SIU say police deployed an “anti-riot weapon” ENfield (ARWEN) and a conducted energy weapon (CEW).
“When those proved to be ineffective, two officers discharged their firearms at the man,” the SIU stated.
The SIU says efforts by emergency medical services, the man succumbed to his injuries.
According to Today’s Northumberland’s Pete Fisher, witnesses reported multiple shots were fired in the area. There are unconfirmed reports the incident also involved a police pursuit.
Video footage shows a pickup truck and a damaged OPP SUV in a roadside ditch along with an OPP cruiser with a damaged driver’s side window.
“Numerous people reported to me there were shots fired,” Fisher said on Facebook Live.
Northumberland OPP in Cobourg declined to comment as the SIU has invoked its mandate.
The SIU have assigned three investigators and three forensic investigators to the case. Two subject officials and 12 witness officials have been designated. The post-mortem is scheduled for Wednesday in Kingston.
The SIU is urging anyone who may have information about this investigation to contact the lead investigator at 1-800-787-8529. The unit is also urging anyone who may have any video evidence related to this incident to upload that video through the SIU website.
The SIU is an independent agency that investigates incidents involving police that have resulted in death, serious injury or alleged sexual assault.
— More to come