The guardian dog of the Ontario Police is investigating a report that an officer fatally shot a man inside a court room in a remote part of northern Ontario on Thursday.
Kristy Denette, spokesman for the Special Research Unit, said a team of researchers headed to the scene in Wapekeka First Nation, but that no more details would be available until Friday.
The Provincial Police of Ontario said Thursday night that an officer of his Sioux surveillance detachment shot a “individual armed with a knife in Wapekeka First Nation” around noon, but did not specify the location.
“As a result, the armed individual was declared deceased on the scene,” OPP said in a press release.
Lawyer Karen Seleyy said she listened to the shooting of colleagues who were present in what she described as an impromptu room inside a community center.
‘Shocking’ event
Seeley, a partner of a law firm based in Dryden, Ontario, said the witnesses described a person who entered the court and took out what appeared to be a knife before an officer shot him.
“It was shocking,” said Seeley, who has been practicing law in northern Ontario for many years.
“Nothing like this has happened … that I know,” he said, adding that his colleagues and the community are shocked.
Wapekeka Courthouse is described on its website as a flight location that provides a small amount of judicial services on limited dates.
Seeley said the Court, like many others in the northern parts of the province, has no metal detectors.
