A Hamilton police officer has been cleared in the shooting death of a 19 year old man, in early February.

The province’s Special Investigations Unit says there are no reasonable grounds to lay charges, in the death of Andreus Chinnery. Police got a call about a man smashing up his apartment the night of February 2nd of this year. When they got to the building at Barton East near Lottridge, they could hear banging and yelling from inside. They knocked on the door and were confronted by a man with a baseball bat. They ordered the man to drop it. Instead he swung the bat, and hit the edge of the door.

Police then drew their guns and told the man a second time to drop the bat. Instead he started to take another swing at them. That’s when two shots were fired. Both hit Chinnery, and he died a short time later. His family called the shooting “murder by police”, but the SIU disagreed.

The Special Investigations Unit interviewed both police and civilian witnesses, took physical, and photographic evidence, and concluded: “It is tragic that Mr. Chinnery lost his life, but the subject officer had no reasonable alternative but to discharge his firearm.”

Hamilton police have also issued a brief news release saying: “Today, the SIU issued the results of its investigation. As the SIU news release states, the Hamilton Police officer was cleared. The loss of life is a tragedy. We extend our condolences to the Chinnery family.”