The police watchdog has charged an OPP officer with the shooting death of a young man in Chatham Kent last July.
Joseph Martino, director of the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), said he has reasonable grounds to believe an OPP officer committed a criminal offense in connection with the 24-year-old man’s death.
Chatham-Kent OPP officers responded to a call regarding gasoline theft at a gas station between London and Chatham and proceeded to follow the vehicle believed to be involved, traveling west towards Highway 401.
“The vehicle ended up in the ditch that divides the road. One of the officers approached the vehicle, his firearm discharged and he shot the driver,” the SIU said in its statement.
The man later died in hospital, the statement continues.
Officer Sean O’Rourke has been charged with one count of involuntary manslaughter and one count of criminal negligence causing death.
The police union, the Ontario Provincial Police Association (OPPA), said it “stands with Provincial Constable Sean O’Rourke of the Chatham-Kent OPP Detachment, and all of our members who acted in good faith on duty on the evening of July 7, 2021, while responding to a service call on Highway 401 near Ridgetown, Ontario.
“It was an absolutely tragic event. Our attorneys will vigorously defend our officer’s actions in a court of law. The upcoming court process will be long and stressful for everyone affected and we urge all OPPA members affected by this incident to seek professional or peer mental health support.”
Reference-www.thestar.com