Ontario police watchdog investigates after man fatally shot by officer in Niagara Falls, Ont.

Ontario's police watchdog is investigating after a provincial police officer fatally shot a man in Niagara Falls, Ont., Wednesday morning. The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) says a 40-year-old was pronounced dead in hospital after the shooting.

According to the SIU — which scrutinizes police interactions that involve a death, serious injury or sexual assault — the shooting involved members of the Ontario Provincial Police's Repeat Offender Parole Enforcement Unit (ROPE).

The shooting occurred outside near Stanley Avenue and Peer Lane, SIU spokesperson Kristy Denette told CBC Hamilton in an email Wednesday afternoon. 

In a news release, the SIU said preliminary information suggests that around 11:15 a.m., officers from multiple police services with the ROPE squad were in the area to arrest the man in relation to parole violations.

There was an "interaction," and one officer shot the man, the SIU said. The man was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead, while an officer was taken to hospital with a serious injury.

Based on a photo the unit shared on social media site X, the shooting happened near the Ramada by Wyndham hotel. 

In an afternoon news release, Niagara Regional Police Service said its officers responded to the shooting around 11 a.m., but were not directly involved in the incident. 

Early afternoon, Niagara police asked the public to avoid the area near the shooting in a post on social media site X. The intersection is bordered by hotels and a restaurant. 

However, "there are no on-going concerns with public safety," Niagara police said. 

Four investigators and two forensic investigators have been assigned to the case, the SIU said.