Peterborough police are investigating after an off-duty police officer discharged a privately owned firearm inside of a west-end home on New Year’s Eve (December 31).
At around 7 p.m. on Wednesday, officers were called to the home in the Ireland Drive and Ravenwood Drive area after a report that a firearm had been discharged inside the home. The bullet from the firearm then struck and entered a neighbouring home.
No one was injured in either home in the incident.
Police say the individual who discharged the firearm was an off-duty Peterborough Police Service officer. Police seized the firearm that was discharged, which they say is not a service-issued firearm and is legally owned by the officer.
“This is understandably a very troubling incident, and the Peterborough Police Service is thankful that no one was injured,” said police chief Stuart Betts in a media release. “Any further details will be released when available.”
The police investigation is still ongoing and no charges have been laid at this time.
On Monday (January 5), the Peterborough Police Service advised that members of its professional standards unit and senior investigators have been assigned to the incident and have engaged an independent third party to examine the firearm.
“This incident is being investigated as any other incident that may have criminality associated to it, and investigators are consulting with the Crown Attorney’s office regarding the circumstances,” reads a police media release.
“With the appropriate safeguards in place and external agencies engaged, the Chief did not identify a conflict of interest in being able to complete this investigation internally, which is in keeping with the provisions of O. Reg. 401/23, under the Community Safety and Policing Act.”
The original version of this story has been updated with additional information released by the police on January 5.
