News Release

News Release

SIU Concludes Investigation into Man Shot and Wounded by Hamilton Officer

Case Number: 25-OFI-103   

Other News Releases Related to Case 25-OFI-103

SIU Investigating Police-Involved Shooting in Hamilton
SIU Continues Investigation into Hamilton Police-Involved Shooting

Mississauga, ON (23 July, 2025) ---
The Special Investigations Unit found no reasonable grounds to believe a Hamilton Police Service officer committed a criminal offence in connection with shooting and wounding a 30-year-old man. On March 16, 2025, officers responded to a residence in the area of Hunter Street East and Spring Street after a male victim was stabbed in the neck in his apartment by the man -- a male intruder.

Officers located the man in a bedroom with the door closed. The officers forced the door open, and the man jabbed at them with a knife through the doorway when he was met with gunfire.

Director Joseph Martino was satisfied that the shots fired by the officer constituted reasonable force in self-defence. The man had just stabbed the victim and attacked the officers with a knife at close range. Director Martino concluded that the officer had cause to believe that his life, and the lives of the other officers with him, were in peril.

Full Director’s Report (with Incident Narrative, Evidence, and Analysis & Director’s Decision):

The SIU is an independent government agency that investigates the conduct of officials (municipal, regional and provincial police officers, police officers with the Nishnawbe Aski Police Service, 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

Lisez ce communiqué en français.

Kristy Denette, siu.media@ontario.ca
SIU Communications/Service des communications, UES