Ontario’s police watchdog, the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), says there are “no reasonable grounds” to believe a South Simcoe Police officer committed a criminal offence in the death of a man after two officers were fatally shot in Innisfil, Ont., last year.
The force said officers received reports of a disturbance at a home in the 25th Sideroad and 9th Line area at around 7:55 p.m. on Oct. 11, 2022.
The SIU said there was an “exchange of gunfire” between a man and officers inside a home.
The South Simcoe Police said both officers were taken to a local hospital. One officer died a short time later.
A day later, the force confirmed the second officer, who had been airlifted to a Toronto trauma centre in critical condition, had died.
The officers were later identified as Const. Devon Northrup and Const. Morgan Russell.
The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene after a confrontation with police, the SIU said.
Sources told Global News the deceased was Chris Doncaster.
According to the SIU, he had an SKS semi-automatic rifle.
In the report on Wednesday, SIU Director Joseph Martino said he found “no reasonable grounds” to believe that a police officer committed a criminal offence in connection with the “self-inflicted death” of a “22-year-old man in Innisfil last October.”
“The SIU investigated as the man’s death occurred in the context of an exchange of gunfire involving the officer,” the report said. “The man fatally shot two officers and turned the gun on himself.”
Martino said he is “satisfied” that the officer “comported himself lawfully throughout his engagement with the Complainant that ended in the Complainant’s self-inflicted gunshot wound and death,” adding that there is “no basis for proceeding with criminal charges in this case.”