The province’s police watchdog has cleared a York Regional Police officer in connection with the shooting death of a 21-year-old man in Aurora in April.

The man was fatally shot by officers on the night of April 12, 2014, in the area of State Farm Way and Leslie Street.

In a report released Monday, Special Investigations Unit (SIU) investigators said an officer was initially sent to the area at around 8:45 p.m. after receiving a call about a girl and her mother who had been shot.

The report states that police later learned it was in fact the 21-year-old man who had placed the call to police and no one had been shot.

Upon arrival, SIU investigators say the responding officer found the man with what appeared to be a gun in his hand.

Police were unaware at the time that the weapon the man was carrying was only a pellet gun.

The officer called for backup, exited the vehicle and drew his firearm, repeatedly ordering the man to drop his weapon.

The man, SIU investigators say, did not oblige and continued to approach the police car with the gun pointed in the direction of the officer.

When other police cruisers arrived on scene, investigators say the man continued to ignore orders to stop and drop his weapon.

Police say the man had raised his gun, pointed it at two officers and starting to walk toward them when officers fired.

The 21-year-old was transported to Sunnybrook Hospital, where he died from his injuries.

SIU director Tony Loparco said the officers could not be faulted for confusing the pellet gun for a legitimate firearm.

“Its red tipped barrel and clear slide had been painted black and made to look like an authentic gun,” Loparo said in the statement.

“When the man neared the officers’ position at the southeast corner of the State Farm Way and Leslie Street intersection, his right arm raised and “gun” pointed in their direction, they had every reason to believe their lives were in imminent risk. Having ignored multiple calls to stop and drop his weapon, the officers were well within their rights to shoot as the man neared to within a car’s length of their location.”