A 17-year-old is dead after he was involved in an exchange of gunfire with four police officers who were responding to a break-and-enter in progress in Aurora on Wednesday night, the province’s police watchdog says.
In a update on Thursday morning, the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) said the incident happened outside a residence on Downey Circle, located near St. John’s Sideroad and Bayview Avenue, shortly before 8 p.m. on Wednesday.
According to the SIU, police received a call from an individual at around 7:45 p.m. reporting a break-in at a home in the area.
“Soon after officers arrived at the scene from York Regional Police, there was an exchange of gunfire between the 17-year-old male and four police officers,” SIU spokesperson Monica Hudon said Thursday.
The teen was struck multiple times and pronounced dead at the scene, she added.
One police officer sustained minor injuries and was taken to hospital for treatment.
When asked whether the teen resided in the area, Hudon said the SIU could not yet release that information.
“We have a number of witnesses to keep interviewing,” she told reporters.
She was also unable to confirm who made the call to police about the break-and-enter.
“We are in the early hours of the investigation and there is a lot to still determine,” Hudon said.
Four subject officers have been identified along with five witness officers, she noted.
The SIU is an arm’s length agency that is called in to investigate whenever police are involved in a death, serious injury, or allegations of sexual assault.
The SIU has assigned five investigators and three forensic investigators to the case.