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Police north of Toronto will not lay charges against a resident who shot and injured an alleged home invader.
York Regional Police say the resident in Vaughan, Ont., used a legally owned and properly stored gun and is not facing charges based on evidence collected at the scene.
Police say one of the suspected intruders was dropped off at a Toronto-area hospital with a gunshot wound and charges against him are pending.
“We recognize that in situations involving armed intruders, the immediate threat to life is paramount,” acting York Regional Police Chief Cecile Hammond told reporters at a news conference Tuesday.
“As every situation is unique, no one piece of advice fits all circumstances. Your first priority is to safeguard yourself and your family. This includes taking steps to seek to seek a secure location and calling 911 immediately.”
Hammond said people can use “reasonable force” to protect themselves and their family only when necessary under the Criminal Code.
“Depending on the circumstances of each incident, homeowners can still be held liable for their actions.”
Police released video of the incident on Tuesday that shows masked suspects entering and leaving the home. Rapid gunfire can be heard as they run from the home to a waiting black pickup truck.
WATCH | Video shows intruders entering, leaving home in Vaughan, Ont., home invasion:
According to police, officers responded just before 1 a.m. to reports of a shooting at the home, which is located in the area of Carrville Woods Circle and Crimson Forest Drive, near Rutherford Road and Dufferin Street.Â
They say multiple suspects, allegedly armed with at least one firearm, forced their way into the home. The suspects were later seen getting into the black pickup truck and fleeing the scene.
Police said they were told at about 3:15 a.m. that a male with a gunshot wound had been dropped off at hospital. Police said they determined that the male had been dropped off shortly after the home invasion.
Hold-up unit investigators have since confirmed that the male was shot during the reported home invasion. He was said to be in stable condition Tuesday.
Police are appealing for help from the public in identifying the suspects. Officers are canvassing the area in which the home is located.
Police are searching for three suspects who helped the male get to hospital.
A middle aged man and an elderly woman were home at the time of the home invasion, police said. No one at home was injured.
Michael Celio, a neighbour, said he was awake at the time and heard some commotion that sounded either like “animals on the roof” or something strange. When he looked outside, he saw several police cars parked on the street.
Celio said he is “super concerned.”
“I was actually working in my office right here up until 12:30, and if I was still there 30 minutes later, I would have seen everything.”
‘Refreshing’ that homeowner not charged: lawyer
Ari Goldkind, a criminal defence lawyer, said he finds it “refreshing” that the police did not charge the homeowner.
“I think the police have actually done some police work here and done some investigating and not done what is a real pet peeve of mine, which is just charge the person, and as the police often say, let the courts just figure it out,” he said.
Goldkind also said it’s important to understand the limits of the law.
“The law on this is very clear, though, whether it’s a gun, a knife, pepper spray, nunchucks. You can only use as much force as is reasonably necessary to defend yourself and/or your family from an imminent threat,” he said.
Last month, prosecutors withdrew charges against a man in Lindsay, Ont., who had been accused of assaulting an alleged home intruder in August 2025. His case attracted attention from Premier Doug Ford and others who were critical of the initial charges.