Yesterday, the tranquil town of Seaforth was disrupted when the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) descended on the scene to probe an incident involving a Huron County OPP officer and an alleged car thief. According to the SIU, Huron OPP officers had trailed what they suspected to be a stolen vehicle to a residence on Main Street North. The scuffle occurred around 10:30 am, opening a new chapter in a febrile drama that has gripped the community.
A confrontation occurred between an OPP officer and the occupants of the suspected stolen vehicle. Amid the heat and flash of the altercation, the officer discharged at least two bullets, ripping through the front window of the vehicle. Unfazed, the vehicle took flight from the scene, with the shooting victim deposited at the Clinton hospital at around a quarter past eleven.
Not long after ditching its passenger, the law-breaking vehicle collided with another car within two blocks of the hospital. The driver, perhaps realizing the escalating consequences of his decisions, decided to flee the scene. This action triggered a lockdown at the hospital and a hold-and-secure order at adjacent Clinton schools.
The identity of the driver remains unknown to this day. The Huron OPP has yet to locate the suspect, who remains at large. A person named Karley Frayer has been identified as potentially implicated in the investigation. Frayer is described as standing 5’3, a hefty 180 pounds with distinctive blue eyes and colored wavy hair. She was seen last in Seaforth on the day of the incident.
The Seaforth home where the shooting took place has seen law enforcement vehicles before, stirring memories and piquing the interest of curious neighbors. They describe the property as one that repeatedly attracts trouble.
The responsibility falls on the SIU to investigate all police-involved shootings in Ontario and make a determination as to whether police action was justified. The 35-year-old man injured by the gunshot continues to wrestle with his injuries in the hospital. His condition brings a sobering gravity to a situation that continues to unfold.
