The Director of the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), Tony Loparco has cleared two Cobourg Police officers in the shooting death of a 70-year-old man just over a year ago at the Northumberland Hills Hospital.
In his report, Loparco says he finds the actions from the two officers justified as they believed their lives and the lives of the hospital staff members and civilians in the area were in danger.
The 70-year-old man had been brought to the hospital by his wife who was concerned about his recent talk about taking his own life.
The man then fatally shot his wife in the head while in a triage room.
Officers shot the man 20 times according to the SIU report.
This was the city’s first homicide in 70 years.
Cobourg Police Chief Kia Liu said this tragic event stole a bit of the community’s innocence but he is proud of the heroic actions taken by the responding officers.
He continued on to say this event has inspired the NHH and CPS teams to work together to research, develop and implement enhanced Active Attacker training for hospital police and personnel.
Chief Liu says it is their intention that this will not only assist the community in feeling safe but also to support other hospitals as they too enhance measures to guard against gun violence.
