SIU completes probe of Exeter man's death in OPP shooting

When police officers are involved in incidents where someone has been seriously injured, dies or alleges sexual assault, the Special Investigations Unit has the statutory mandate to conduct independent investigations to determine whether a criminal offence took place.

SIU completes probe of Exeter man's death in OPP shooting

Postby Thomas » Mon Oct 12, 2020 3:59 am

SIU completes probe of Exeter man's death in OPP shooting

Ontario’s police watchdog has completed its investigation into the 2019 shooting death of an alleged axe-wielding man in Exeter, but the agency’s director still has to review the file and determine whether charges are warranted.

The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) launched the probe after police fatally shot Wade Vanderwal, 44, on Dec. 3, 2019, outside the Simcoe Street home where he lived with his mother.

Two OPP officers fired multiple shots at Vanderwal, who was armed with an axe, after police and firefighters responded to a reported fire at the Exeter house, the SIU said.

“The fieldwork for this case has been completed, meaning that all interviews were conducted and all of the evidence was collected and analyzed,” the SIU’s Monica Hudon said by email Tuesday.

“The file is now with the director for his review, and to determine whether there are reasonable grounds to lay charges.”

If director Joseph Martino rules that no crime was committed by the two subject officers, a detailed report, including his analysis of the case, will be sent to Ontario’s attorney general. The SIU started making those reports public in 2017 in a bid to improve transparency.

“The director currently has a number of cases he is reviewing and so it’s just not possible to give a timeline for when his decision on this case will be released,” Hudon said.

The SIU is an arm’s-length civilian agency that investigates all cases of serious injury, death and allegations of sexual assault involving police officers.

On the night of the shooting, Vanderwal’s mother, Diane, had called 911 to get help for her son after he told her the army was coming and locked her out of the house, a relative has said.

OPP officers and firefighters soon arrived, but Vanderwal had barricaded the door, prompting them to break it down, the relative said.

The first dispatch to emergency crews went out shortly after 6:30 p.m. for a male patient with mental health issues who started a fire at the house and wouldn’t leave, according to the call reviewed by The Free Press.

South Huron fire crews were en route by 6:40 p.m. Five minutes later, another update goes out: “Just be advised that PD (police department) is on the scene and has shot the patient,” the dispatcher says, referring to the OPP.

Six minutes later, the dispatcher says CPR is being performed on the patient, who has no vital signs, and paramedics are three minutes away from South Huron Hospital, where Vanderwal was pronounced dead.

It remains unclear whether there ever was a fire. No exterior damage was visible at the Simcoe Street home after the shooting and fire officials wouldn’t speak to the media, citing the SIU probe.

One of three children, Vanderwal had long struggled with mental health issues and had been living with his mom since his mid-20s after returning from a stint out West and suffering multiple strokes, his family said.

https://lfpress.com/news/local-news/siu ... p-shooting
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Police officers who fatally shot axe-wielding man in Exeter,

Postby Thomas » Sat Dec 05, 2020 12:54 pm

Police officers who fatally shot axe-wielding man in Exeter, Ont. cleared by police watchdog

Ontario's police watchdog has concluded there is no basis to lay criminal charges on Ontario Provincial Police officers in the fatal 2019 shooting of an Exeter, Ont. man.

On the evening of Dec. 3, 2019, Huron County OPP were called to a home on Simcoe Street after reports of a man refusing to leave the residence, which was filled with smoke.

Wade Vanderwal, 44, was shot a total of 11 times by two OPP officers and taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Vanderwal was having a mental health episode and refused to open the door when emergency crews arrived. They then had to force it open, according to a report released Friday by the Special Investigations Unit (SIU).

When the door was forced open, Vanderwal "quickly emerged" from the home holding an axe.

"There was a fire in his kitchen, and he refused to leave the residence. He was in possession of an axe and there was an altercation with the OPP officers," the SIU report reads.

Officers first tried to subdue Vanderwal with a stun gun, but when it seemed to have no effect, they opened fire, the report notes.

No reasonable grounds to lay criminal charges

The director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino has determined there are no reasonable grounds to believe that either officer had committed a criminal offence in relation to Vanderwal's death.

A total of 27 civilians and one other police officer were interviewed for this investigation.

"By all accounts, the complainant was advancing in a determined fashion, axe in hand, when the first series of shots rang out," Martino said in his report.

He also noted Vanderwal's history of mental health issues but said "withdrawal or complete disengagement was not a realistic option," given the situation.

"The complainant's death was tragic, made more so by his mental health at the time. The Complainant had struggled with mental illness for many years," he said.

"On the day in question, he was very clearly in acute mental distress in the hours leading to the confrontation with the police. What he needed, more than anything, was medical attention," Martino said.

"That, however, was not going to be possible unless immediate steps were taken to reach the complainant, who in his altered state of mind had locked himself in his home and was refusing to come out with a small fire burning in the kitchen."

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/s ... -1.5829010

https://globalnews.ca/news/7502693/opp- ... xeter-man/
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