An Ontario Provincial Police van enters the perimeter surrounding the Hullet Conservation Area, northeast of Clinton Ont., Sunday, September 14, 2021 after a man was found dead in the area on Saturday. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Geoff Robins
The Canadian Press
CENTRAL HURON, Ont. - Ontario Provincial Police say a man was killed in a shooting near a wildlife area in a rural municipality in southwestern Ontario.
The man died in a shooting around 5 p.m. Saturday in Clinton, a community in Central Huron, but say only that an investigation is continuing, according to police.
Central Huron Mayor Jim Ginn said investigators cordoned off a large area on Saturday night and residents were initially told to lock their doors and remain inside. That restriction has since been lifted, he said.
“There’s still a fairly heavy police presence here and they’re continuing with their investigation,” Ginn said.
“They’re not asking people to stay indoors at this point but to be a little more cautious.”
Clinton resident Doug Farquhar said an OPP officer who visited his home near the scene told him two people had been shot.
Another area resident, Diane Proper, said she heard an alarm go off on Saturday night advising residents to lock their doors.
She said she went to the cordoned off area on Sunday and saw dozens of police vehicles and a few ambulances.
According to Proper, the Hullett Wildlife Conservation Area is popular with hunters and horse riders, and there was bird-dog training going on there this weekend.
She added that rumours and speculation were rampant as residents tried to figure out what was going on.
“Everybody is just scouring what they can to get some confirmation… why the silence? Why the mystery surrounding this?”
“Give us something. Should we be in fear of our lives or have they got everything under control?”
Clinton, a community of 3,100, is about 200 kilometres west of Toronto.
Ginn said he expects police to remain in the area for several days.
“It is a crime scene so it is a restricted area,” he said.
“You hear it all the time, but you don’t expect those types of things to happen in an area like this.”
(The Canadian Press, BlackburnNews.com)
