News Release

In the morning of June 8, 2025, paramedics were dispatched to a residence in Sabaskong First Nation to treat a 22-year-old man for a hand injury. When the man threatened to retrieve a firearm, the paramedics fled the residence and police were called. Over the next two-and-a-half hours, Treaty Three Police Service officers and Ontario Provincial Police officers attempted to negotiate with the man. The man finally stepped outside through the front door onto the porch, with his hands up near his head. After lowering his hands, and failing to come down the ramp that led from the porch, an OPP officer fired his Anti-Riot Weapon Enfield (ARWEN) at the man. He was struck once in the abdomen, and once in the left upper arm. The man re-entered the residence, but came back out about 10 minutes later. He was arrested and taken into custody. The man suffered a wound from the ARWEN projectile to the left upper arm that was closed with staples. The projectile that struck his abdomen caused bruising. On his assessment of the evidence, SIU Director Joseph Martino determined there were no reasonable grounds to believe that an officer committed a criminal offence in connection with the use of his ARWEN.

     

Full Director’s Report (with Incident Narrative, Evidence, and Analysis & Director’s Decision): https://www.siu.on.ca/en/directors_reports.php.