24-hour standoff in Welland concludes with arrest, shelter in place lifted

After nearly 24 hours under a shelter-in-place order, residents in this Welland neighbourhood are finally breathing a sigh of relief after a tense police standoff has ended with a suspect in custody.

Police say 59-year-old Daniel Tronko was arrested at around 7:25 a.m. Saturday morning and charged with attempted murder after nearly 24 hours of negotiations with by-law officers and police.

On Friday, officers responded to a call made by bylaw officers regarding an illegal fence around Tronko’s property on Second Street.

“He’s a resident of that building — that building was a former church that had been converted into a residence,” said Niagara police Const. Richard Hingley.

A shelter in place order was put in effect for the surrounding area for public safety.

WATCH MORE: Officer injured in Welland shooting, residents ordered to shelter in place

Investigators say upon arriving at the scene, the man inside the home opened fire on them.

An officer was reportedly shot in the chest and was transported to hospital. She was later released after being treated for minor injuries.

During the exchange, the SIU says Tronko was shot by officers and brought to hospital to treat his injuries. According to an SIU release, Tronko is in stable condition.

Police negotiated with the man and during the overnight hours, sent in remote cameras, which the man shot at and disabled.

This incident continues to be investigated by the Special Investigations Unit — who did not provide more details about the shooting.

“Because the SIU has invoked their mandate, that’s going to be subject to their investigation. So that would be matters of what kind of guns, how many rounds, nature of injuries,” said Const. Hingley.

WATCH MORE: One man dead, officer injured following police-involved shooting in Welland

For residents in this Welland neighbourhood, it’s been a long and stressful 24 hours.

“It’s kind of a relief, you know. I have a baby inside and everything else was kind of a little nerve-wracking,” said Roger Leger, Second Street resident.

Many residents say the experience was unsettling.

For Bill Clements, he almost didn’t make it back to his home on Second Street as he was returning from work Friday evening because of the shelter in place order.

“I’m a cancer patient so I need oxygen, so I had to get home to get to my oxygen,” said Clements. He was eventually escorted by police to his home, steps away from where Tronko lives.

For Bradley Ulch, who says he has known Tronko for three years, he says he pretty much stayed up all night thinking about his friend.

“Probably three o’clock in the morning I fell asleep and got up at 7 a.m. just to see if I can hear anything, and then I heard that he got caught,” said Ulch.

READ MORE: Three arrested, drugs and guns recovered following Niagara police investigation