Man shot and killed by police in Dartmouth, HRP refer shooting to SiRT
A man is dead after being shot by police in Dartmouth during an incident Saturday morning.
Halifax Regional Police officers were called to the scene of a weapons incident around 9 a.m.
Police say a man with an undisclosed weapon was seen in the area of a sports field near Micmac Boulevard and Woodland Avenue.
According to police, the man was shot by multiple officers when he confronted them with the weapon.
The man was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The scene remained largely cordoned-off for much of the day.
The province’s Serious Incident Response Team (SiRT) is leading the investigation.
“Like any investigation that we do, it’s a serious incident, so it will take some time,” said SiRT director Alonzo Wright.
The area is busy and frequented by residents, including children.
Iago Gomes and his group of friends use the sports field on Saturday mornings, but this time, they were told by officers to move off the field immediately.
“It was a regular Saturday for us, came here, and we were getting ready to start playing and then we heard a bunch of cars coming up, cops showing, and then one of them told us to leave the middle of the field.”
After moving from the field and sitting on a bench adjacent to it, Gomes said the group heard a loud noise. “Some of the guys said it’s a gunshot but we were not sure at the time.”
All of it has been highly upsetting to people live and work in the area.
Diane Howard lives right across from the sports field. She normally leaves her doors unlocked in the day, however, she said after today she will be locking her doors.
“It’s very close to home and it’s very unusual that it would happen.”
CTV News Public Safety Analyst, Chris Lewis, a former commissioner of the OPP said officers are trained to deescalate incidents like these, however, if a suspect draws a weapon, officers may not have a choice.
“[A] section of the Criminal Code allows the police to use deadly force. They have to fear for their own life or grievous bodily harm or that of another. So if the police is afraid they’re going to be shot or someone else is going to be shot,” he explained.
According to Lewis, in the last 10 months, 10 officers have been murdered in Canada. He said as crime increases, police are not going to take a chance when it comes to their personal safety.
While Wright did not provide information as to how long the investigation will take, Lewis said forensic analysis is unpredictable and could take months before answers are found.
Micmac Boulevard between Woodland Avenue and Horizon Court is closed to vehicle and pedestrian traffic until the investigation is complete.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Invasive and toxic hammerhead worms make themselves at home in Ontario
Ontario is now home to an invasive and toxic worm species that can grow up to three feet long and can be dangerous to small animals and pets.
Opinion I just don't get Taylor Swift
It's one thing to say you like Taylor Swift and her music, but don't blame CNN's AJ Willingham's when she says she just 'doesn't get' the global phenomenon.
It's 30 years since apartheid ended. South Africa's celebrations are set against growing discontent
South Africa marked 30 years since the end of apartheid and the birth of its democracy with a ceremony in the capital Saturday that included a 21-gun salute and the waving of the nation's multicolored flag.
Britney Spears settles long-running legal dispute with estranged father, finally bringing ultimate end to conservatorship
Britney Spears has reached a settlement with her estranged father more than two years after the court-ordered termination of a conservatorship that had given him control of her life, their attorneys said.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
opinion RFK Jr.'s presidential candidacy and its potential threat to Biden and Trump
Although it's still unclear how much damage Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s candidacy can do to either Joe Biden or Donald Trump this election, Washington political columnist Eric Ham says what is clear is both sides recognize the potential threat.
Haida elder suing Catholic Church and priest, hopes for 'healing and reconciliation'
The lawyer for a residential school survivor leading a proposed class-action defamation lawsuit against the Catholic Church over residential schools says the court action is a last resort.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
From pop to politics, what to know as Sweden prepares for the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest
Taking place in May in Malmo, Sweden, the 68th annual competition will see acts from 37 countries vie for the continent’s pop crown in a feelgood extravaganza that strives — not always successfully – to banish international strife and division. And you don’t have to be in Europe to watch, or to help pick the winner.