Man critical after being shot by Hamilton police
Officers were called to Cannon East parking lot for domestic incident involving man with gun
A 42-year-old man is in critical condition after being shot by Hamilton police outside a Cannon Street East convenience store Tuesday afternoon.
Hamilton police received a call about a domestic dispute around 3:30 p.m.
According to the Special Investigations Unit, police found the subject of the call — the 42-year-old man — in a vehicle in the parking lot for Corner’s Variety on Cannon, east of Gage Avenue North.
As several officers approached the vehicle, two officers fired shots, said the provincial police watchdog, which investigates police-involved shootings. The SIU said the man was shot and taken to hospital.
Investigators said they have taken possession of police-issued firearms from the scene.
Phil Klippenstein-Jimenez, who has lived about a half-block from the corner store for more than 15 years, said he was working from home when his mother called him sounding frantic.
“My mom called and said, ‘Are you good? There were gun shots!’ ” said Klippenstein-Jimenez.
“I didn’t hear any shots, but when I came to the porch for my (work) break, I saw police everywhere.”
On Wednesday, the Hamilton police declined to comment further, citing the SIU investigation. Previously, they said the domestic call involved a man with a gun.
It’s not clear if police continue to investigate the domestic incident and if there is a separate crime scene related to that call.
Hamilton paramedic Supt. Dave Thompson said two men were transported to hospital from the scene — one with critical injuries, the other with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
The SIU has not mentioned a second person being injured.
Police could be seen walking in and out of the variety store Tuesday night. What appeared to be blood was visible on the sidewalk in front of the store.
The owner of the Corner’s Variety was not immediately available for comment.
There was a significant police presence in the area until about 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, when the scene was cleared.
One man who lives adjacent to the corner store said police restricted street access to neighbours overnight.
“I had to have a smoke in the backyard because they wouldn’t let me on the porch,” said the man, who refused to be identified.
The man said the incident caught him by surprise.
“I didn’t know what happened until my dog started barking. I went outside and police were all over the place,” he said. “But violence is happening everywhere. No area in the city is exempt.”
The SIU is an arm’s-length agency that investigates incidents involving police in Ontario where someone is seriously hurt, killed or there is an allegation of sexual assault.
There were eight police officers involved in the incident. The SIU said it’s in the process of identifying how many are “subject officers” — officers under investigation — and how many are witnesses.
The agency has assigned five investigators and three forensic investigators to the case.
The SIU has already interviewed several civilian witnesses and secured some video footage.
Anyone with information is asked to call the SIU at 1-800787-8529. Anyone with video related to the incident is asked to upload it through the SIU website.