Ontario’s police watchdog is investigating after a man was seriously injured in a police-involved shooting in downtown Ottawa on Tuesday afternoon.
The province’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU) says the incident occurred shortly after 1:30 p.m. near Rideau Street and William Street, close to the Rideau Centre.
As a precaution, the Rideau Centre was temporarily locked down but has since reopened.
According to preliminary information, Ottawa police were responding to reports of a man with a firearm in the area. During the interaction, two officers discharged their guns, striking a 24-year-old man.
It is unclear if both officers struck the man.
He was taken to hospital with critical injuries and is now in stable condition, authorities said.
Earlier in the day, police issued a statement saying the initial call came from the Sparks Street area. Officers later encountered the suspect between Sussex Drive and Dalhousie Street on Rideau Street.
Police said no officers were physically injured and that there was no ongoing threat to public safety.
The SIU has assigned four investigators and three forensic investigators to the case. The unit is asking anyone who witnessed the incident to come forward or fill out a witness form on their website.