Two police officers killed in Innisfil shooting did not draw firearms: SIU
Posted October 13, 2022 6:30 am.
Last Updated October 13, 2022 7:47 pm.
Ontario’s police watchdog has confirmed that the two officers killed in a shooting at a home north of Toronto did not draw their weapons.
The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) is continuing its investigation on Thursday after two South Simcoe police officers were shot inside a residence in Innisfil, Ont. shortly before 8 p.m. on Tuesday.
The SIU says that a third cop was at the home and did exchange gunfire with a 23-year-old man who was inside but did not confirm the suspect was killed by that officer.
“That is something that the SIU is investigating,” spokesperson Kristy Denette said. “The cause and manner of the man’s death are not determined. The autopsy for the man is [Friday], and the SIU hopes that will shed more light on the circumstances.”
The 23-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene. The SIU says the suspect was armed with a semi-automatic rifle.
“The focus of the SIU investigation is the police officer’s discharge of a firearm at the man,” Denette said. “There is also another investigation happening with York police. I am sure that is something they’re exploring.”
Denette says police were called to the home by family members at the residence.
“It’s a tragic incident all around. Three lives were lost.”
Investigators have yet to confirm how the gunman was killed. The participation of the third responding officer at the scene is being looked into as part of the ongoing investigations.
The deceased officers were later identified as Const. Devon Northrup and Const. Morgan Russell. Northrup died at a local hospital, while Russell was airlifted to a Toronto trauma centre, where he was later pronounced dead.
A police escort is set to bring the bodies of the fallen officers back to Barrie on Friday. The procession is set to leave the coroner’s office in Toronto at 9 a.m. Police cruisers from South Simcoe Police Service, the Ontario Provincial Police and York Regional Police will form the escort. Details on a full police funeral for the two are still being finalized.
Suspect identified as young man who lived with grandparents
CityNews spoke to a woman claiming to be the suspect’s ex-girlfriend, who identified him as Chris Doncaster, saying that he lived in the home with his grandparents.
The Department of National Defence confirmed that a man named Christopher Joseph Doncaster was a Canadian Armed Forces member from May to December 2020. The department says Doncaster was a private with no deployment history and never completed basic training.
A photo of the man suspected of shooting and killing two South Simcoe police officers in Innisfil. Photo: CityNews submission.
The woman, who spoke on a condition of anonymity, says she was with Doncaster for five years, and news of the incident came as a complete shock.
“I’m at a loss for words; I feel terrible for the officers and family involved,” she said. “Sometimes he got angry about things. I think he just needed someone to guide him into how to deal with things better.”
The couple broke up four years ago.
“I never would have expected something like this,” she says.
In addition to the SIU investigation, South Simcoe Police Service has requested the York Regional Police conduct an investigation into the circumstances of the incident on their behalf.
Neighbours left shocked, saddened by incident
A resident who lives in the area told CityNews she heard six or seven gunshots followed by the sound of police sirens, saying the street was filled with police vehicles shortly after the shots rang out.
“Just heard a bunch of loud bangs,” she said. “At first, I thought it was maybe a gas explosion or something. Then came here and saw a whole bunch of cop cars come flying up.”
John Ridge, who has lived in the area for 26 years, said he was heading to bed Tuesday night when he saw two police cars rush by his house with their lights on.
“Woke up this morning, and two police officers were shot 10 doors from my house,” the 66-year-old said. “It’s unsettling and disheartening.”
“I’m sickened by it. These guys go out and put their lives on the line for us every single day. And this is the kind of thanks they get?”
Ridge and other neighbours confirmed an elderly couple with an adult grandson lived in the house where the shooting occurred.
Michelle Bannister has lived on the street for 26 years and knows the older couple who lived in the home.
“They’ve been here for just as long as we have. [A] good couple,” she says. “It was very shocking to know and to hear. It was very hard to watch.”
Community members gathered Wednesday night for a candlelight vigil to mourn the deaths of the two police officers.
Northrup was a six-year member of the service and worked with the community mobilization and engagement unit. He also served as a member of the mental health crisis outreach team and the emergency response unit.
Russell was with the force for 33 years and was a trained crisis negotiator assigned to uniform patrol.
The deaths of the two officers mark the third and fourth Toronto area police officers to be killed in the last month.
A Toronto Police officer was shot and killed during a shooting rampage that spanned the GTA in September. Days later, a York Regional Police officer was killed in an early morning head-on collision in Markham.
