News Release

SIU Continues Investigation into Firearm Death in Burlington

Case Number: 11-OFD-042   

Mississauga (14 March, 2011) --- Ontario's Special Investigations Unit (SIU) is continuing its probe into the circumstances surrounding the firearm death of a 34-year-old Burlington man Saturday evening in Burlington. The SIU has assigned eight investigators and three forensic investigators to probe the circumstances surrounding this incident.

The SIU investigation has determined that at 7:30 p.m., Saturday March 12, 2011, a Halton Regional Police Service HRPS) officer stopped a vehicle on Walkers Line north of Mainway, Burlington in relation to a number of calls made to police about a car being operated erratically.

During the ensuing interaction between the officer and male driver of the vehicle, the driver sustained a gunshot injury when the officer’s firearm was discharged. The man was taken to the Joseph Brant Memorial Hospital in Burlington by ambulance. He was pronounced dead at 8:24 p.m.

A post-mortem was conducted in Hamilton yesterday at 10:00 a.m. The results are pending.

The SIU has designated one officer as a subject officer and five officers as witness officers.

At this time, at the request of family, no name will be released.

The SIU is asking anyone who may have witnessed this incident or may have an audio-video recording of it, to contact the lead investigator at 416-622-1935 or

1-800-787-8529 extension #1935.

If you or someone you know is an affected person in need of support, please call the Affected Persons Program General Referral Line at 1-877-641-1897 or click here for more information: siu.on.ca/en/apc.php

The SIU is an independent government agency that investigates the conduct of officials (police officers as well as special constables with the Niagara Parks Commission and peace officers with the Legislative Protective Service) that may have resulted in death, serious injury, sexual assault and/or the discharge of a firearm at a person. All investigations are conducted by SIU investigators who are civilians. Under the Special Investigations Unit Act, the Director of the SIU must

  • consider whether the official has committed a criminal offence in connection with the incident under investigation
  • depending on the evidence, cause a criminal charge to be laid against the official where grounds exist for doing so, or close the file without any charges being laid
  • publicly report the results of its investigations
SIU Communications/Service des communications, UES