Toronto police officer charged with manslaughter after man shot at Niagara hotel: SIU
Written by The Canadian Press on April 15, 2026
TORONTO — Ontario’s police watchdog has charged a Toronto police officer with manslaughter after a man was fatally shot in a Niagara Falls hotel last year.
The Special Investigations Unit says it has reasonable grounds to believe that Const. Andrew Lawson committed a criminal offence in the July 30, 2025 shooting.
The SIU says a repeat offender parole enforcement squad, made up of officers from various police services, had gone to the hotel to look for a man who was the target of a Canada-wide parole revocation warrant.
The watchdog says there was “an interaction” between police officers and the 40-year-old man, and one officer fired his gun.
The man was struck and later pronounced dead in hospital.
The SIU says Lawson faces one count of manslaughter and was released on an undertaking with conditions after his arrest.
The charge against Lawson has not been tested in court.
The SIU says the officer is due to appear in a St. Catharines court on May 6.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 15, 2026.
The Canadian Press