SIU Concludes Investigation into Vancouver Police Officers at Ottawa Protests

The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, has found no reasonable grounds to believe that two Vancouver Police Department officers committed a criminal offence in connection with shooting their less-lethal firearms at two protesters during the demonstrations in Ottawa on February 19, 2022.

Police officers with the Vancouver Police Department were in Ottawa to assist with policing the Freedom Convoy protests, and specifically, in this incident, the officers involved were part of an operation to control the crowd on Bank Street. Shots were fired at a 36-year-old man and a 41-year-old man. No serious injuries were reported.

Director Martino concluded that there were no reasonable grounds to believe that either subject official comported themselves unlawfully in the use of their less lethal firearms. Accordingly, there was no basis for proceeding with criminal charges in this case. The file has been closed.

Full Director’s Report (with Incident Narrative, Evidence, and Analysis & Director’s Decision):