Fatal shooting of man by police in Dartmouth justified: SiRT

Nova Scotia’s Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT) has concluded a police officer won’t be charged in connection with fatal shooting of a man in Dartmouth, N.S., last year.

The incident began when Halifax Regional Police responded to a weapons complaint on Aug. 27, 2022 after 911 caller said a man they drove home in a taxi refused to pay his fare, according to a SIRT report issued Tuesday.

The report alleges the man went into his home and then pointed a shotgun at the taxi driver.

The man was on the front steps of his home when officers arrived at the scene.

SiRT says the officers tried to get the man to come forward with his hands up, but he did not and went back inside.

The report says when the man came back out he had a long gun and raised it “in what appeared to be a ready position to fire in the direction of the officers.”

SiRT says man did not respond to officer’s requests to drop the weapon and an officer fired one shot at him.

The man died at the scene from the gunshot wound.

“The investigation found it was reasonable for the officer to conclude his life was in danger and the use of his firearm to shoot the male was justified in the circumstances. Therefore, no charges are warranted against the officer,” says Alonzo Wright, SiRT’s director, in a summary of the report.

SiRT is responsible for investigating all serious incidents involving police in Nova Scotia. 

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