SIU says man shot himself after killing 2 Innisfil police officers

Ontario’s police watchdog says the gunman who killed two South Simcoe Police officers before shooting himself was wearing a ballistic vest and waiting to ambush police when they arrived at his home in Innisfil.

The Special Investigations Unit has closed its investigation into the October shooting and cleared a third officer who shot the man of any criminal wrongdoing.

The three officers responded on Oct. 11 after a woman called police asking them to remove a family member from the house who had broken her eyeglasses and punched a hole in the wall.

READ MORE: Police identify 2 officers killed in Innisfil shooting

The SIU says the gunman, who “waited in ambush” at the bottom of the dark basement stairs, fatally shot Const. Devon Northrup and Const. Morgan Russell, who did not have their weapons drawn.

It says the third officer fired back and saw the gunman was dead when he looked into the basement.

The SIU says the gunman shot himself in the head with his rifle and the officer appeared to have caused a scrape to the man’s left leg.

READ MORE: Man killed in deadly Innisfil police shooting had military history