An armed man who barricaded himself inside his Huntsville, Ont., home Friday is dead, along with two women, say investigators with the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and Special Investigations Unit (SIU).
Around 9 p.m. Friday, Ontario Provincial Police say they received a call about a shooting on Highview Drive in Huntsville, Ont., about 200 kilometres north of Toronto. They were also contacted around that time by a man in that area who said he was at home in possession of weapons and had harmed two members of his family, according to a Saturday release from the SIU.
The OPP sent a response team of crisis negotiators to the residence, setting up a perimeter while continuing to speak with the 52-year-old man on the phone, the SIU said.
At some point, communication with the man stopped and police sent a drone inside to search the residence, the SIU said. The drone discovered the deceased bodies of two women and one man.
Because the deceased man had been interacting with police, the SIU has invoked its mandate. The OPP is undertaking a homicide investigation.
Investigators did not give any more details about how the three people found inside had died. They are asking anyone who may have more information about the deaths to come forward.
The SIU is an independent agency that investigates police conduct in incidents that results in death, serious injury, the discharge of a firearm or allegations of sexual assault.
The OPP says there is currently no threat to public safety, but locals should expect to see a large police presence on Highview Drive this weekend.
