Ontario's police watchdog says there are no reasonable grounds to lay charges against a Peel Region officer who shot and injured a 26-year-old man in Mississauga, Ont., last year.
The Special Investigations Unit says the officer acted in self defence after the man threatened to kill the officer while wearing an apparent explosive device.
The SIU says in November 2015 the 26-year-old man called 911 and said he was wearing a suicide belt and planned to blow himself up because "his people" were being killed in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.
It says the man was wearing a makeshift imitation explosive device involving a hair clipper and cord.
The SIU says two officers arrived to find the man walking towards the squad car yelling he was going to blow them up.
The officers retreated behind the car and one officer fired five shots at the man, which left him with injuries to his abdomen, thigh and scrotum.
"The subject officer feared for his life and believed it necessary to shoot the man to prevent him from detonating a bomb that would endanger his life," SIU acting Director Martino said in a statement.
"Of course, as the man was not actually armed with any weapons, the officer was mistaken in his assessment of the threat. Be that as it may, his mistake, made in the heat of the moment with no time to take the man other than at his word, was entirely reasonable in the circumstances."
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.
This content appears as provided to The Globe by the originating wire service. It has not been edited by Globe staff.