Pubdate: Tue, 22 Jun 2004 Source: Intelligencer, The (CN ON) Copyright: 2004, Osprey Media Group Inc. Contact: http://www.intelligencer.ca/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2332 Author: Jeremy Ashley SIU SAYS SLAIN MAN WAS ARMED A 47-year-old man shot dead by police Friday evening was armed with a handgun when he ran from police and subsequently died in a hail of bullets, The Intelligencer has learned. Speaking from the Mississauga headquarters of the Ontario Special Investigations Unit, spokeswoman Kaia Werbus confirmed Monday that Curtis MacDonald was armed with a handgun when he was shot by officers around 6:30 p.m. in the city's downtown. In previous statements, the provincial agency would only confirm MacDonald possessed a firearm. The agency, which investigates any incident involving police and civilians where death or injury occurs, would previously only - and cryptically - say MacDonald was "in possession" of a firearm but would not confirm or deny that he, in fact, was armed when he encountered police. "Under normal circumstances, we wouldn't be releasing that ... but just to clear the air - but preserve the integrity of the investigation - that's what we're prepared to say right now," Werbus said. The SIU was called in to probe city police involvement in the shooting, which occurred shortly after 6:30 p.m. Friday in a downtown parking lot behind a parkette near Maxwell's Deli Cafe building at 248 Front St. known as Behrens Park. According to people interviewed at the scene, MacDonald was drinking on Maxwell's rear porch when he noticed police coming out of the rear entrance of nearby Copperfield's and fled on foot. McDonald, according to witnesses, ran around the northwest corner of the building and into the parking area between Maxwell's and Greenley's book store to a parked white Sunfire car. When he reached the vehicle, witnesses said he turned to face the pursuing police officers. The shooting occurred on the west side of the vehicle, which was parked against the wall of the building housing Maxwell's. None of the witness accounts have been verified by police or investigators with the SIU. Paramedics tended to MacDonald at the scene but he was pronounced dead at Belleville hospital a short time later. A post mortem examination was held Sunday in the Coroner's Building in Toronto, but the results are not being made public, Werbus said. Meanwhile, a police officer also received "very minor" injuries in the incident - believed to be a wound to the upper leg from a deflected round. It is not known from which weapon the bullet that injured the officer was fired or if, in fact, MacDonald fired his weapon, at all. Prompted to release the information due to the extent of details contained in an Intelligencer story on the incident which was published June 19, Werbus said the confirmation that MacDonald was armed was issued, in part, to quell the public's speculation that MacDonald was not armed when he was shot. Eight SIU investigators have been assigned to the case and were at the scene to gather physical evidence late Friday night and to conduct interviews with potential witnesses throughout the weekend. The agency is provincially-mandated to probe all incidents involving police officers in Ontario where someone sustains serious injury, sexual assault or death. Police Service Act charges can be laid against any subject officers pending the outcome of an SIU investigation. In the Belleville shooting, two police officers have been designated as subject officers while three others have been appointed as witness officers. The actions of the subject officers, whose names were not released, are being probed for any possible wrongdoing. While the subject officer cannot be directly spoken to by investigators, those designated as witnesses will be questioned with regards to their interpretations of the incident. City police are also not allowed, under provincial guidelines, to speak publicly about the incident. Werbus did not want to speculate on how much time the SIU investigation may take to complete. "We don't work to a time line ... statistically, over 50 per cent of our cases close in 30 days. I'm not saying this one will - obviously they're all different, with different things involved - but those are the statistics." Investigators are also attempting to track down potential witnesses, she added. "All I can really say is that interviews with civilians are ongoing . we are continuing our appeal for witnesses." Anyone who witnessed the incident is asked to contact the unit at 416-622-2150 or 1-800-787-8529. - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin