KENORA, Ont. — An OPP officer who discharged an anti-riot weapon at a 15-year old youth will not face criminal charges.
Ontario's Special Investigations Unit looked into the April 2021 incident and determined there are no reasonable grounds to believe the officer committed a criminal offence.
Officers encountered the teen after responding to a robbery at a local restaurant, in which two employees had been pepper-sprayed.
In a back alley, police instructed the youth to show his hands and lie on the ground.
When he ignored the order and began walking toward the officers, one of them fired his anti-riot weapon, which uses non-lethal projectiles.
The youth was struck in the stomach area, fell to the ground, and was handcuffed without further incident.
He was then checked out at Lake of the Woods District Hospital where he was found not to have suffered any serious injuries.
SIU Director Joseph Martino concluded that the officer who fired the projectile did not use excessive force, considering that the youth was continuing to advance toward him, and that there was reason to believe he had pepper spray.
"Waiting any longer, or approaching [the youth] to engage hm physically, risked giving [the youth] an opportunity to use the spray against the officers," Martino wrote in his decision.
He added that "Nor were withdrawal or retreat clearly better options as [the youth] had just committed a violence offence and had given no indication that he was about to surrender peacefully."
