He had 'intent on killing police officers', SIU clears officers in fatal Minden, Ont., shooting last July
Ontario's police watchdog has cleared the officers involved in a shooting that left a 73-year-old man dead in Haliburton County last July.
The Ontario Special Investigations Unit (SIU) said Leslie Hegedus was "intent on killing police officers" when he fired on officers outside his home.
Police had been called to a Valu-Mart grocery store on Highway 35 in Minden, Ont., on the morning of July 15, 2020. They said 73-year-old Hegedus was inside the store, refusing to wear a mask and assaulting staff members.
Witnesses reported he left the store, narrowly missing hitting pedestrians and shopping carts with his vehicle.
Police officers then followed Hegedus in a short pursuit that was called off.
Hours later, police went to meet with Hegedus at his home on Indian Point Road, east of Haliburton, when they found themselves under fire.
The SIU said Hegedus was hiding in the bushes and fired twice at one of the officers, prompting them to run for cover and call for help.
The SIU said the two officers who arrived exchanged gunfire with Hegedus, and he was shot three times.
Hegedus was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The SIU said no reasonable grounds were found to believe the two police officers acted unlawfully, and the use of force in shooting Hegedus was reasonable and proportionate.
In his report, SIU director Joseph Martino said "there can be little doubt that Mr. Hegedus was intent on killing police officers."
With files from CTV's Kim Phillips and The Canadian Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
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.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.
U.S. flight attendant indicted in attempt to record teen girl in airplane bathroom
An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.
Powerful tornado tears across Nebraska, weather service warns of 'catastrophic' damage
Devastating tornadoes tore across parts of eastern Nebraska and northeast Texas Friday as a multi-day severe thunderstorm event ramped up in the central United States.