Weapon found on man after police shooting

Two rifles, hunting gear were stolen from a Hamilton home

WATERLOO REGION — Police said on their radio they found a weapon on a suspect, minutes after shooting and wounding a man Saturday beside Highway 401 in south Kitchener.

The type of weapon isn’t revealed, but it may have been a crossbow.

On Saturday afternoon, someone broke into the home of an employee of Schindler Elevator, a firm based in Ancaster. Two rifles and other hunting equipment were stolen, the company said in a statement.

The employee’s work vehicle, a white minivan bearing the Schindler logo, was also stolen. Police issued a provincial alert to watch for the stolen vehicle and three stolen weapons.

Just before 4 p.m., Waterloo Regional Police found the Schindler minivan idling at the dead end of Old Mill Road in Cambridge, near Highway 401. Minutes later, a man bolted from the van into the bush, with a bag.

At 4:26 p.m., an officer confronted the man, shouted at him to show his hands and shot him in the thigh, police communica-

tions reveal.

After shooting the man, police tried to account for all the stolen weapons, communications reveal. Police searched the empty van and reported finding two rifles, open ammunition boxes and a missing round.

Twelve minutes after the suspect was shot, an officer on the scene was asked: “I know you have your hands full there, but did you still have that bag with him that he took off with?”

The response: “10-4 (yes) there’s a bag here.”

Seconds later: “Do you need me to do any kind of evidence search?”

The response: “Right now I’m going to say no. We’re just going to secure everything. We did find another 917 (police code for weapon), but it’s right beside him.”

At 5:31 p.m., after the suspect was taken for medical treatment, an officer involved in an update with Hamilton police said: “They have no information other than the initial two rifles and crossbow being stolen.”

At 6:12 p.m. someone asked about the stolen weapons from Hamilton. “Can we confirm they’re accounted for?”

The response at 6:14 p.m.: “There was only two long guns in the van. Two rifles.”

The police shooting is under investigation by Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit, which probes serious incidents involving police and injury to civilians. Police and the SIU have refused to provide further details.

The wounded suspect, a 30year-old man, was airlifted to a Hamilton hospital.

It’s the first local police shooting in just over a year. Maurice Rivard, 41, of Cambridge was shot by police on March 2, 2017, in the right front torso. That happened after police received a 911 call of an erratic driver in the area of Belmont Avenue and Highland Road in Kitchener. Police and the man were involved in an interaction at Lilac and Ottawa streets in which a stun gun was used and a gun fired.

Rivard was charged with attempting to disarm an officer and other impaired-related charges. The SIU is also investigating.