Ontario man arrested after shooting, two fires, an 11-hour manhunt

KINGSTON, Ont. — The Ontario Provincial Police have arrested a man in connection to a shooting after an 11-hour manhunt and two massive fires in the village of Parham Sunday night.

OPP said Monday morning that Brian Daniel Mosher, 42, was arrested at 7:30 a.m. on Monday at a residence in Hartington, south of Parham. The arrest was without incident.

“The investigation remains ongoing and there is no further concern for public safety,” OPP said. “Further information will be released with available.”

The OPP were called to the village at about 8:30 p.m. Sunday night for a report of gunshots. When they arrived a resident had non-life-threatening injuries and a two-storey home and the church next door were ablaze.

The daughter of Central Frontenac Mayor Francs Smith, Leslie Smith spoke to the Whig-standard and other journalists early Monday morning on behalf of her mother. She confirmed that the incident started when the fire department was called to investigate a fire with no permit located behind St. James Anglican Church and a two-storey house in the village.

Smith said that when the volunteer firefighter arrived, a man there shot at his truck.

“Then a young lad from up the street saw smoke and headed into the village to see what was wrong, came to the fire and he was shot, but the shot grazed his ribs,” Smith said.

She added later, “as far as I know there’s been no fatalities.”

At 1:15 a.m. the OPP put out a news release asking for residents to be on the look out for Mosher. They described him as dangerous and that he shouldn’t be approached. They did not know at the time whether he had accessed a vehicle.

Police had evacuated homes in the area as they searched, but they have since returned. Highway 38 was also closed for most of the night, but reopened later Monday morning.

Smith said that initially fire crews could not access the home and church because of the dangerous situation. She said the structures have burned to the ground.

Smith explained that the church had recently been repainted and renovated. It contained many of the village’s artifacts.