Ontario’s police watchdog says the gunman who killed two South Simcoe Police officers before turning the rifle on himself was wearing a ballistic vest and waiting to ambush police when they arrived at his home in Innisfil.
The Special Investigations Unit has closed its investigation into the October shooting, clearing a third officer who shot the man of any criminal wrongdoing.
The SIU says the three officers responded on Oct. 11 after a woman called police asking them to remove a family member from the home who had broken her eyeglasses and punched a hole in the wall.
After the officers were invited inside, the SIU says the gunman, who “waited in ambush” at the bottom of the dark basement stairs, fatally shot Const. Devon Northrup and Const. Morgan Russell, who did not have their weapons drawn.
The SIU says the third officer fired back and when he looked into the basement, he saw the gunman was dead.
The SIU says the gunman shot himself in the head with his rifle and the officer appeared to have caused a graze wound to the man’s left leg.
