Niagara cop hit with six or seven bullets from colleague's firearm: Source
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A Niagara Regional Police officer shot by a fellow cop was hit with six or seven bullets during an altercation between the two, sources told The Toronto Sun.
Bullets struck Const. Nathan Parker’s heel, upper leg and his shoulder. Three rounds landed or deflected off his bullet-proof vest while another round tore off a portion of his nose.
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It’s believed the gun was fired in close proximity to the officer, who survived the barrage of bullets because of his bulletproof vest, say sources. It’s possible the two officers were fighting over the firearm.
Parker remains in stable condition.
Det.-Sgt. Shane Donovan has been designated the subject officer by Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit, but the agency hasn’t released his name or identified the shooting victim.
The shooting followed a heated argument between Parker and Donovan about the reconstructionist work being done at an impaired driving collision, according to sources.
Parker, who was supposed to be guarding the scene during the reconstruction, had left the scene for a bathroom break but his absence was perceived as extraordinarily long. When he radioed that he was returning to duty, he was told: “Don’t bother.” Parker became infuriated and conflict escalated, sources said.
Parker has a history of violence against prisoners with three convictions under the Police Act, during his career. He was docked 120 hours in 2015 after pleading guilty to discreditable conduct and unnecessary use of force against a prisoner.
In 2012, he lost 60 hours pay after conducting his own investigation into a commanding officer who had been cleared of wrongdoing from a previous incident.
The previous year, Parker was found guilty of using unnecessary force and in 2008, he was docked 90 days pay for arresting a cyclist without cause.
In 2007, Parker lost a week’s pay after he was found guilty in a disciplinary hearing for pepper spraying a handcuffed and restrained a robbery suspect in the backseat of a cruiser in June 2005.
In appeal documents obtained by the Toronto Sun, Parker “used open hand distraction techniques” — one to three slaps about the head to force the non-compliant suspect to sit down.
Parker claimed he “used pepper spray on the suspect while he was outside the cruiser and unrestrained.”
The suspect said Parker “continued hitting him, got him handcuffed and peppersprayed him after he got in the cruiser.”
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Parker “made no mention of the pepperspray” in either his arrest report or in his notebook, but “claimed it was not a deliberate omission; that he was tired and simply forgot,” the appeal stated.
“The Hearing Officer found Const. Parker’s evidence on several aspects of the events to be misleading, inconsistent or untruthful,” stated the decision upholding his conviction.
The SIU is an arm’s length agency that investigates reports involving police where there has been death, serious injury or allegations of sexual assault.
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