Ontario's Special Investigations Unit says there are no reasonable grounds to believe a Sault Ste. Marie Police Service officer committed a criminal offence in the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Nathan English.
On May 11, 2024, an officer discharged his firearm at English five times. He was pronounced deceased in hospital.
Earlier that day, police were first called to a store on Second Line West in relation to a disturbance.
After determining English was not a threat to himself or others, he was allowed to leave on his scooter.
“He then rode to an area near Peoples Road and attempted to speak to three females on the sidewalk. Police were called again,” the SIU said in a news release.
“Officers spoke with the man and they offered him a ride home. During a voluntary search, officers discovered a bulge in his pocket. The man said it was a gun and pulled out what appeared to be a small semi-automatic pistol and pointed it at the officer.
“The officer responded with a volley of gunfire in rapid succession. First aid was provided until an ambulance arrived. The gun was later determined to have been a cigarette lighter designed in the fashion of a small semi-automatic pistol,” the release said.
Director Joseph Martino said he was satisfied that the force used by the officer was reasonable.
“If the officer believed that he was staring at a firearm pointed in his direction at close range, and he accepted that he did, then he had no other recourse than to fire his weapon.
“Retreat or withdrawal were not available given the immediacy of the threat. And no other option, including less-lethal weapons at the officer’s disposal, would have sufficed to deter the prospect of imminent gunfire,” the release said.
Read the full report here.