OPP officer justified in discharging anti-riot weapon at teen in Orillia: SIU

A provincial police officer has been cleared of any wrongdoing after an incident involving a teen in Orillia over the summer.

According to the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), officers were called to a home on Westmount Drive on August 9 for a domestic incident.

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The agency says a 16-year-old pulled a knife, and the officer responded by discharging his Anti-riot Weapon ENfield (ARWEN) at the teen.

The boy was taken to the hospital for treatment. The SIU says he did not sustain serious injuries.

The SIU director has since determined there were no reasonable grounds to believe that the officer committed a criminal offence concerning the use of the ARWEN.

The SIU investigates the conduct of police that may have resulted in death, serious injury, sexual assault, and/or the discharge of a firearm at a person. Under the Special Investigations Unit Act, a firearm is defined as a barreled weapon from which any shot, bullet or other projectile can be discharged and that is capable of causing serious bodily injury or death to a person.