New images have emerged showing the suspected gunman in the fatal shooting of two police officers in Ontario wearing his Canadian Armed Forces uniform.
CTV News Toronto has confirmed that the photo is of Chris Doncaster.
Chris Doncaster is seen in this photo wearing his Canadian Armed Forces uniform. (Facebook)
The Department of National Defence previously confirmed that a man with the same name was a Canadian Armed Forces member from May to December 2020.
The department said Doncaster was a Private with no deployment history, and he did not complete basic training.
The new details about the suspected killer's past come as police continue to investigate the shooting inside a home near 25th Side Road and 9th Line on Tuesday.
Chris Doncaster is seen in this undated photo. (Facebook)
Initial reports from the SIU said that Const. Devon Northrup, 33, and Const. Morgan Russell, 54, arrived at the home and subsequently became involved in an exchange of gunfire with a 23-year-old male resident armed with a semi-automatic rifle.
However, SIU Spokesperson Kristy Denette told CTV News Toronto earlier on Thursday that a third officer was at the house and was the one who exchanged gunfire with the 23-year-old man.
Chris Doncaster is seen in this undated photo. (Facebook)
It remains unclear how Doncaster died. The SIU has said that investigators will know more following an autopsy scheduled for tomorrow.
Northrup and Russell were critically injured in the shooting and were rushed to hospitals, but both later died of their injuries.
Neighbours told CTV News Toronto that Doncaster was the grandson of an elderly couple who resided in the home.
Const. Devon Northrup, left, and Const. Morgan Russell, right, were fatally shot during an incident on Oct. 11 in Innisfil, Ont. (Supplied)
'LONG PROCESS' OF HEALING'
New details about the shooting come after a candlelight vigil was held for the slain officers Wednesday evening.
Hundreds of community members, including Innisfil Mayor Lynn Dollin, attended the vigil, however the families of the fallen officers were not involved.
Dollin says it’s going to be a “long process” of healing for the town, located about 70 km north of Toronto.
“I think our community is still in shock. I think last evening helped, that we could get together and help support each other. But it's going to be a long process for us. And everybody wants to be there to support our first responders and also, of course, the families of the fallen,” she told CP24 Thursday morning.
Members of the Innisfil community including Mayor Lynn Dollin, left, attend a candlelight vigil for two fallen police officers in Innisfil, Ont., on Wednesday, Oct 12, 2022. An officer who worked with outreach and mental health teams and a veteran constable who was a trained crisis negotiator were identified Wednesday as the two police officers who died after a shooting in Innisfil, Ont. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Arlyn McAdorey
Northrup had six years of service with South Simcoe Police, while Russell was a 33-year veteran of the service.
Dollin said both officers were known faces in the small town, which has a population of nearly 24,000.
“(They were) well-respected officers in the community and got involved in the community as well, not just during their shifts but volunteering for the police service, the memorial run,” she said.
A women places flowers outside the Innisfil Police Station in Innisfil, Ontario, on Wednesday, Oct 12, 2022. An officer who worked with outreach and mental health teams and a veteran constable who was a trained crisis negotiator were identified Wednesday as the two police officers who died after a shooting in Innisfil, Ont. _ an event that left residents of the quiet community in shock. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Arlyn McAdorey
Dollin added that she knew Russell personally as they played in the same golf league together.
“Both of them, just exemplary people. My memory of Moe (Russell) will always be when he smiles, his whole face smiles, his cheeks smile and his eyes smile, not just his mouth,” she said.
Northrup is survived by his partner, parents and many close friends, while Russell is survived by his wife and two teenage children.
SIU AND YORK REGIONAL POLICE INVESTIGATING
South Simcoe Acting Police Chief John Van Dyke said in a news conference on Wednesday that this “is a heartbreaking time for our police service.”
Van Dyke said the service has asked York Regional Police to conduct an investigation into the circumstances of the incident.
Police and SIU investigators gather at the scene where two police officers were killed in Innisfil, Ont., on Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Arlyn McAdorey
On Thursday, a spokesperson for the YRP said that it has offered its assistance to South Simcoe Police but is awaiting clarification on their role.
Meanwhile, the SIU has assigned six investigators and three forensic investigators to their probe of the shooting.
SIU Spokesperson Denette also told reporters the SIU has not designated any officers as subject officers at this point.
The SIU investigates the conduct of officials that may have resulted in death, serious injury, sexual assault and/or the discharge of a firearm at a person.
Post a Comment