Officers with the Rainy River Ontario Provincial Police acted reasonably when they shot and killed a 39-year-old man in March who had not responded to being tased and was coming at them with a sledgehammer.
The man was shot several times, including in the head, and died at the scene March 9, 2026, outside a cabin near Ena Lake, located north of Kenora.
The province’s Special Investigations Unit released its report into the incident this week, concluding that the officers who shot the man should not be charged.
The incident began at 8:03 p.m., when police were contacted by the man, who said he needed help.
“He had consumed drugs and alcohol and spoke of people living in his attic,” the SIU said.
“As he continued on the call, it became apparent that the complainant was in mental health crisis. He stated that he would kill police officers sent to his home.”
Several police arrived on the scene by 8:15 p.m., making their way up a 300-metre-long driveway that led to the man’s cabin.
Police spoke with him as they approached, who was agitated, confused and threatened to kill police.
“The officers came to learn from a complainant’s family member, whom police had reached out of province, that the complainant was schizophrenic and possibly off his medication,” the SIU said.
Screaming from behind a door
“Upon reaching the cabin, officers set up by a door on the lower level of the house. The complainant could be heard screaming from behind the door and banging on it. He was eventually seen holding an axe through a window.”
“I’ll f---ing kill you if you trespass ... I’ll end you when you arrive,” the man was heard saying on bodycam footage.
“His comments fluctuated between vulgar, belligerent and confused.”
At one point, the man pushed out a screen in the window and an officer fired his stun gun – but it had no effect.
“The complainant screamed and stepped behind a curtain, out of view,” the SIU said.
“He could be heard crying inside the residence before he went silent.”
Police then decided to back away, set up a perimeter around the cabin and wait for the OPP emergency response team to arrive. But as this plan was being organized, the man suddenly emerged from the residence.
“He held a sledgehammer and began to run in the direction of the officers south of him,” the SIU said.
Ran toward them, holding the hammer
“The complainant ran several metres towards officers positioned in an approximate semi-circle facing him. His advance was hampered by deep snow. He held a sledgehammer in front of his body in a two-handed grip.”
Again, police fired their stun guns, and again they had no effect. The man advanced on one officer who had fallen backwards into the snow when police opened fire.
Officers shot him with their Glock handguns and one shot was fired from a Colt C8 rifle.
The man collapsed into the snow, the sledgehammer falling beside him. He was shot two more times, and then police handcuffed him.
“Paramedics attended and took charge of the complainant’s care,” the SIU said.
Dead at the scene
“He could not be resuscitated and was pronounced deceased.”
In his analysis, SIU director Joseph Martino said officers “were engaged in the lawful exercise of their duties and lawfully placed through the events that culminated in gunfire.”
“The complainant had himself called police asking for help about people in his attic,” Martino said.
“He had also given the police reason to believe that he was unstable, potentially armed and, in his condition, a threat to himself and others. In the circumstances, the officers were duty-bound to respond to the address to do what they could to prevent harm coming to the complainant and ensure public safety.”
The man posed a significant threat to the safety of the officers, he added, and police had made multiple attempts to defuse the situation and had backed off when he became aggressive.
“Regrettably, the complainant could not be calmed and exited from his cabin with a two-handed grip on a sledgehammer,” Martino said.
Multiple Taser hits failed to slow him down and he was in striking distance of one of the officers holding the sledgehammer in both his hands.
“For the foregoing reasons, there is no basis for proceeding with criminal charges in this case,” Martino added.
“The file is closed.”
Read the full report here.
