Suspect in Kawartha Lakes OPP shooting incident dies

DAN CEARNS, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, for The Standard

KAWARTHA LAKES: The 33 year-old suspect has died, in an incident which saw the death of a one-year-old boy, in Kawartha Lakes in late November.

On December 3rd, a press release from Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU), stated, “Last night at 8:40 p.m., the man succumbed to his injuries. A post-mortem is scheduled for tomorrow morning at 9 a.m. in Toronto,”

The SIU is currently investigating the incident, which occurred on Thursday, November 26th.

According to the SIU, at about 8:45 a.m. “the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) was made aware that a father had abducted his son from the Municipality of Trent Lakes.”

A little while later, in response to this information “The OPP located a vehicle of interest, a pickup truck, in the City of Kawartha Lakes on Sturgeon Road. Officers attempted to stop the truck.” the SIU revealed, “On Pigeon Lake Road, the truck became involved in a collision with an OPP cruiser and a civilian vehicle. An OPP officer was standing outside of the cruiser, at the time, and he sustained serious injuries. An interaction ensued between the 33-year-old vehicle driver and officers, and three officers discharged their firearms. The driver was struck and airlifted to the hospital in grave condition. Inside the pickup truck was a one-year-old boy. He had sustained a gunshot wound and was pronounced deceased at the scene,” read the SIU press release.

The SIU said a post-mortem was completed on the one-year-old victim, on Saturday, November 28th, “and the SIU is awaiting this report.” The officer who was injured in the incident, while “laying down a spike belt,” is currently listed in stable condition in a hospital.

The SIU has currently interviewing “ten of the witness officers”, with three left to be interviewed. The suspect’s pickup truck is also currently being examined.

The Ontario Provincial Police Association has released a statement on the incident.

“We are all devastated when a child tragically dies. We continue to support our members affected by an incident that occurred near Lindsay, Ontario on November 26th, involving the death of a child. It is important to wait for the facts of the final investigation. We urge anyone, from the public or our members, to reach out for professional mental health supports,” the statement read.

The SIU is asking anyone with further information, which could contribute to this investigation, to contact their lead investigator at 1-800-787-8529.

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