A female police officer was taken to hospital after she was shot while responding to a call in Welland on Friday morning.
The incident took place near Plymouth Road and Lincoln Street at around 8 a.m.
Const. Richard Hingley told reporters at the scene that police were first called to the area by bylaw officers but were met with gunfire upon arrival.
“They requested what we call a keep the peace, to come and stand by for a bylaw issue. In this case it is a fencing issue around what appears to be an old church converted into a residence,” Hingley said. “Shortly after our officers arrived they were met by gunfire from a male inside that building. One of our officers unfortunately was hit. We believe that the body armour did its job and protected that officer.”
In an update at around 5 p.m., police said the injured officer had been released from the hospital with minor injuries.
A male suspect was contained within a building in the area and as of 10 p.m. a shelter-in-place order remained in effect for the surrounding neighbourhood.
Earlier, police had said negotiations were ongoing as attending officers worked “towards a peaceful surrender.” They warned that members of the public may hear sounds or bangs in the area as officers “initiate tactics and equipment” in an effort to check on the wellbeing of the male inside the home.
Hingley said once officers are able to arrest the male, he will be facing an attempted murder charge.
Police said that residents in the impacted area should “lock all doors and windows and remain inside until further notice.”
“We have issued a shelter-in-place. What that means for our residents here is to lock your doors, lock your windows, stay inside. That allows our officers to do their operations properly,” Hingley said. “We have a heavy police presence and quite a big perimeter given the nature of the attack on our officer. We don’t know what weapon was used, however we are going with a larger perimeter to ensure the safety of the public.”
Residents who cannot return home or have been displaced from their homes can head to the City of Welland Community Centre, located at 145 Lincoln St., for shelter, police said. Niagara police add that residents will be required to provide proof of address to get in.
Ontario’s police watchdog has been called in to investigate, as police have said that officers discharged firearms “during the initial interaction.”
However, few other details about the circumstances surrounding the incident were provided.
Premier Doug Ford provided a brief update during an unrelated news conference in Buffalo on Friday morning, noting that a female officer was shot in the chest.
“They are in the hospital, the officer she is a wonderful person. She is going to survive and I just want to say our prayers and thoughts are with the family,” he said. “God bless her and I pray everything is going to work out. I am very confident it will.”
The Welland Hospital was under a lockdown following the shooting but the order was lifted at around 1:30 p.m.
Multiple schools in the immediate area remained under lockdown orders throughout the day on Friday.
Police have since said that staff were evacuated from Plymouth Public School as well as St. Mary Catholic Elementary School.
Residents are being asked to avoid the area bounded by Lincoln Street to the north, Third Street to the south, King Street to the west and Coventry Road to the east.
