SIU investigating after officers stun, shoot suspect holding knives
Ontario's Special Investigations Unit (SIU) is investigating after a man was shot by police when he allegedly charged officers with knives in his hands.
Around 9:30 Tuesday night, police responded to a call about a man with knives in the 300-block of Dufferin Avenue in London, Ont.
Once on scene, the male suspect was located by the officers. The male then allegedly ran directly at the officers while brandishing knives.
As a result, the SIU says two officers discharged stun guns while a third discharged his firearm, causing serious but not life-threatening injuries. The man was being treated at Victoria Hospital for his injuries.
Nigel Richards was on a nearby balcony and heard what happened.
“We were out on his balcony, we heard a pop, pop, pop and thought it was fireworks, but nothing, no nothing came up, no lights or anything, and we didn’t really think anything. We heard some yelling and then next thing you know there was sirens everywhere, coming from every direction...Just chaos, with all the police, ambulances everywhere.”
Police investigate 100 metres east of Waterloo Street on Dufferin Avenue in London, Ont., Wednesday, July 28, 2021. (Marek Sutherland / CTV News)
The SIU says London police were responding to a domestic disturbance when the incident occurred.
Murray Faulkner, a former London police chief, says those kinds of calls can be unpredictable.
“It’s a very, very volatile situation, especially if the two disputing partners are in the same building.”
London police statistics released in March show use-of-force reports have been on the rise over the past five years, except for a big drop in 2019.
Faulkner says assaults against police officers have been increasing along with armed confrontations.
“As well as, unfortunately, assaults against police have been increasing. So then you compound that with the fact that in London, in 2020, there was about 62 more cases that police encountered someone who had a firearm, in which they had to draw their firearm. And there was around 27 more cases of individuals that were confronting police with knives.”
The SIU is asking anyone who may have information about the incident to contact the lead investigator at 1-800-787-8529 and anyone with video evidence is asked to upload it through the SIU website.
- With files from CTV News London's Marek Sutherland and Tammy Heisel
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
What's a Barnacle? It's yellow, sticks and screams if you try to pry it off your car
Barnacles, bright yellow devices used to make sure parking scofflaws pay their tickets, could soon be making their way to cities across Canada.
They were from different countries and barely spoke each other's languages. More than 20 years later, they're still happily in love
He decided to spend Christmas somewhere that wouldn't involve snowstorm disasters. She was spending the holidays with family, travelling for the first time outside of her native country of Venezuela. 23 years later, they're still in love.
Man who set himself on fire outside Trump trial dies of injuries, police say
A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former U.S. President Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
Verdun Airbnb listing taken down amid complaints, fines and frustration from neighbours
An Airbnb in Montreal's Verdun borough was the source of much frustration from neighbours who say there were constant parties at the location. It has been taken down from the app, but housing advocates remain upset about short-term rentals.
Fire in Labrador town under control, officials tells residents to stay away
RCMP say the fire that prompted a state of emergency in a Labrador town is now under control.
12 students and teacher killed in Columbine school shooting remembered at 25th anniversary vigil
Thirteen victims of the Columbine High School shooting were remembered during a vigil Friday on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the shooting that was the worst the nation had seen at the time.
Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza city of Rafah kills at least 9 Palestinians, including 6 children
An Israeli airstrike on a house in Gaza's southernmost city killed at least nine people, six of them children, hospital authorities said Saturday, as Israel pursued its nearly seven-month offensive in the besieged Palestinian territory.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.