Ontario Police Sergeant’s Fatal Shooting Unveils Startling Details
The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) has released new information regarding the deadly shooting of Ontario Provincial Police Sgt. Eric Mueller in Bourget, Ontario last spring. As part of their investigation, the SIU has cleared one of the surviving officers of any criminal wrongdoing in the incident.
The tragic event occurred in the early morning hours of May 11 when three officers responded to a disturbance call at a home on Laval Street. Sgt. Mueller lost his life, while two other officers sustained injuries during the shooting.
According to the SIU, two officers were inside the residence when shots were fired without warning. In a span of two to three seconds, approximately nine or ten shots were discharged, resulting in Sgt. Mueller being struck while in the mudroom of the home.
Given their mandate to investigate incidents involving police officers that lead to death, serious injury, sexual assault, or the discharge of a firearm, the SIU looked into the use of a firearm by one of the surviving officers. After an analysis of the evidence, the SIU determined that there were no reasonable grounds to believe that the officer committed a criminal offense.
The SIU also outlined the events that transpired at the Bourget home on that fateful morning. Officers had been called to check on the well-being of an individual after a resident reported hearing someone screaming followed by a gunshot. Officer #1 arrived first and spoke with the resident before making his way to the house. Officer #2 joined shortly after, and together, they surveyed the property, knocked on the rear door, and peered through the windows, trying to grab the complainant’s attention. Another officer arrived at the front of the house, completing the team.
The SIU report described how the officers entered the darkened residence through the unlocked front door. One officer verbally identified themselves as police and called out for the complainant multiple times. Suddenly, shots were fired from the bedroom, with the complainant armed with a rifle. Sgt. Mueller and another officer were hit by gunfire, with Mueller positioned a few meters behind the other officer in the mudroom at that moment. The third officer sought refuge behind the police vehicles in the home’s driveway.
The SIU report continued, revealing that approximately 30 seconds after the initial barrage of gunfire, the subject officer managed to escape the house through the mudroom, firing back in the direction of the bedroom as he did so. The officer briefly returned to the threshold of the front door leading to the mudroom to check on Officer #1 (Mueller), but refrained from entering due to the complainant still being in possession of the rifle near the open bedroom door. In a shocking turn of events, as the subject officer turned away from the front door, the complainant emerged from the bedroom and fired two additional rounds through the wall and/or window, with one bullet striking Witness Officer #1 in the left knee.
The SIU investigation confirmed that the resident then proceeded into the living room, firing more shots through the open door. Around a minute and a half later, the complainant fired four more rounds in rapid succession before eventually surrendering into police custody. The report also mentioned that the subject officer, who had suffered grievous injuries during the incident, used his firearm in self-defense and in defense of his fellow officers. The SIU concluded that the officer’s use of reasonable force was necessary to deter the complainant from firing further.
The investigators reviewed body-worn camera footage from the officers, highlighting the presence of numerous bullet holes on the walls and bedroom door frame within the residence.
While the lawyers representing the man charged in Sgt. Mueller’s shooting death, Alain Bellefeuille, previously stated that the officers were not ambushed, their statement emphasized that the suspect did not expect officers to show up at his home during the night. According to the lawyers, Bellefeuille had been asleep, planning to wake up early for work, and had called 911 for help after the incident had already occurred.
In conclusion, the SIU’s detailed report sheds light on the tragic shooting of Sgt. Eric Mueller and provides a comprehensive account of the events that unfolded at the Bourget residence. As the investigation progresses and the legal process unfolds, the aim is to attain justice and a thorough understanding of what transpired on that fateful day.
