Police have arrested and charged a man shot during an interaction with officers responding to a mental health call in Oshawa.
At around 11 a.m. on Sunday, Durham police officers were called to the area of Simcoe Street South and Wentworth Street East for reports of an armed person.
Shortly after they arrived, they encountered a 27-year-old man who was allegedly armed with a knife.
Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU) was called in and invoked its mandate after one of the responding officers was shot by a fellow officer. The injured officer is in stable condition, Durham Regional Police Service told CTV News Toronto on Monday afternoon.
“There was an interaction, and one officer discharged their firearm multiple times. The man was struck, as was a police officer,” the SIU said in a news release.
The civilian agency, which is called in to investigate when police are involved in an incident that results in death, serious injury, sexual assault, and/or the discharge of a firearm at a person, has assigned five investigators and two forensic investigators to the case.
On Monday, Durham police said the man who was shot, whom they’ve identified as 27-year-old Tyler Vilneff, of Oshawa, has been arrested and charged with assaulting a peace officer with a weapon and weapons dangerous. He was held for a bail hearing.
Injured officer a ‘hero,’ says Premier
Speaking at an unrelated news conference on Monday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said his thoughts and prayers go out to the officer, and called them a “hero.”
“We pray for his family, and that’s the job that these police officers do,” Ford said.
“They get in their uniforms, they kiss their spouses goodbye, and they go in to keep our community safer. He’s an absolute hero... you go to a knife call, and all of a sudden, you get shot. So, we always will be there to support our police in any way we can.”
Durham’s regional chair also reacted to the news of the shooting on Monday.
“Every day, members of the Durham Regional Police Service (DRPS) put themselves in harm’s way to keep our communities safe,” John Henry said in a statement.
“We are grateful to hear that the officer is in stable condition and extend our full support to this individual, their loved ones and fellow officers during this time.”
“Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this incident, and we wish the injured officer a full and speedy recovery.”
