Peel police officers fired multiple rounds from anti-riot weapons but did not use their guns in trying to apprehend an armed man who subsequently died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound early Tuesday morning at the University of Toronto Mississauga campus, Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit said.
The SIU, which took over investigation of the incident Tuesday morning, said Peel Regional Police officers discharged ARWEN devices as they attempted to arrest the 19-year-old suspect on Monday night inside a student residence at the Mississauga Road university campus.
ARWEN devices, or anti-riot weapons, fire less-lethal rounds designed to incapacitate a suspect so as to prevent them from harming themselves, bystanders or police.
SIU spokesperson Kristy Denette told reporters Tuesday morning at UTM that preliminary information indicates the armed man died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at around 1:30 a.m. in the bedroom of a student residence at the Dundas Street West/Mississauga Road area campus.
More than four hours earlier, Peel police had responded to a dangerous weapons call at the campus a few minutes after 9 p.m. Officers on the scene quickly realized the armed man they were dealing with was wanted in connection with a Monday afternoon domestic assault in Brampton in which a suspect was reportedly in possession of a gun.
Peel police Const. Tyler Bell-Morena, who also briefed the media at the university campus on Tuesday morning, said officers spent several hours negotiating with the suspect while he was barricaded inside one of the townhouse-style student units.
Bell-Morena said a number of frightened students reported hearing what they believed were multiple gunshots, but what they actually heard was police ARWEN weapons being discharged in attempts to subdue the suspect.
“There was no exchange of gunfire with police,” Bell-Morena told reporters, adding the hours-long standoff in which armed police officers stood ready on campus “was a very traumatic incident for students here.”
Police said the armed man was not a student at UTM and they’re trying to determine the nature of the relationship between the suspect and the person on campus they were believed to be visiting.
As the incident was unfolding Monday night, UTM issued a shelter-in-place order for students near McLuhan Court residence, which houses hundreds of first-year students.
Meanwhile, other students either evacuated themselves or did so with help from Peel police and UTM campus police.
Bell-Morena said UTM campus police worked with Peel officers and helped alert students to keep bystanders safe.
No other injuries were reported.
UTM remained open on Tuesday, but classes have been cancelled.
Denette said SIU investigators are on campus Tuesday interviewing people and collecting evidence. She added a post-mortem is scheduled for Wednesday.
The SIU is called in whenever police are involved in incidents with members of the public that lead to serious injury or death.
(Photo: Canmenwalker via Wikipedia)
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