Senior Haliburton resident who refused to wear mask at store was fatally shot in altercation with Ontario police
Ontario’s Special Investigation Unit is investigating after an unidentified 73-year-old man was fatally shot in Haliburton County on Wednesday Morning.
In a news release posted by the SIU, provincial police said they responded to a call at a Valu-Mart in Minden where the man had allegedly assaulted an employee after refusing to wear a mask to enter the store.
Linda Easton, the owner of the store, told the Minden Times that the man started “pounding” on her employee after they offered him a free mask at the store entrance. “The guy just didn’t want to wear a mask”, she said.
She explained that her staff attempted to escort him out of the store. However, once the man got in his car, he attempted to run down a store employee and allegedly crashed into the side of the store, before speeding onto the highway. “He was speeding away, and hit a truck, turning it sideways,” she said.
OPP Sgt. Jason Folz, confirmed that the man had attempted to swerve his car into an employee but said he did not see any damage to the store and does not know whether a truck had been overturned. According to him, police attempted to stop the man but “when it was clear that he wasn’t going to stop”, they discontinued the attempt, citing public safety concerns.
Police are currently investigating a serious criminal matter near the Village of #Haliburton. Currently there is no concerns for public safety. Please remain away from Indian Point Road near Eagle Lake until police complete this investigation. ^jf pic.twitter.com/ecncyluG1W
— OPP Central Region (@OPP_CR) July 15, 2020
However, based on his licence plate, officers made their way to an address on Indian Point Road near Drag Lake, Ontario, which is the man’s residence, Folz confirmed. Outside the home, an “interaction” followed in which two officers discharged their firearms. “The man was struck,” the news release states, although it’s unclear who fired the first shot and whether the officers fatally shot the man.
He was then taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 11:47 a.m., the SIU stated. Investigators are still attempting to locate the man’s next-of-kin.
Residents in the neighbouring area were asked to stay inside their homes and keep doors locked, but were initially not told why. In a community Facebook group, several people described seeing police cars, cruisers, and “police with machine gun” in their area. Folz told the CBC that after the first shots were fired, “additional resources” were brought to the area near Eagle Lake.
The SIU has assigned four investigators and three forensic investigators to the case. Officers collected a semi-automatic rifle and a pistol from the scene.