A Toronto police officer who is part of the Repeat Offender Parole Enforcement (ROPE) shot and killed a 40-year-old man during an arrest outside a Niagara Falls hotel Wednesday morning, the province’s police watchdog said.
The incident happened at 11:15 a.m. in the rear of the Ramada hotel on Stanley Avenue.
Kristy Denette, a spokesperson for the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), said members of the ROPE squad, which is a multi-agency team operated by the Ontario Provincial Police and tasked to locate and apprehend parolees unlawfully at large, were in the area to arrest a man in relation to parole violations.
“The male exited the Ramada and then officers moved in to arrest this individual and there was an interaction,” Denette said.
“A Toronto Police Service officer who was seconded to this ROPE squad shot the man, and that man was taken to hospital, where he has been pronounced deceased.”
The man has not been identified pending next of kin notification. Denette said the man was not a resident of the area.
Denette said a Hamilton police officer was also seriously injured in the incident. The nature of his injuries is unknown.
She noted that the firearm used in the shooting had been collected by SIU investigators. Four investigators and two forensic investigators have been assigned to the case.
When asked about what happened during the interaction, Denette did not elaborate, saying the SIU is still gathering evidence and conducting interviews.
“We don’t know much for sure. Right now, it’s so early that it’s preliminary information,” she said.
“What happened just before shots were fired—that’s what the SIU is investigating.”
As to how the Hamilton police officer was injured, Denette did not have information, as that will not be part of the SIU investigation.
The SIU is called in when the actions of police resulted in death, serious injury, sexual assault, and/or the discharge of a firearm at a person.
