A man who allegedly shot a police officer in Welland remains in hospital with injuries sustained in the exchange of gunfire and will likely face further charges, police said Monday as more details emerged about the accused and the property at the centre of an armed standoff last week.
Daniel Tronko, 59, was arrested and charged with attempted murder on Saturday after a nearly 24-hour standoff with police in the city southwest of Niagara Falls.
Niagara regional police had issued a shelter-in-place order in the area of Plymouth Road and Second Street on Friday morning after police were met with gunfire while helping bylaw officers deal with a “fencing issue” around an old church converted into a home.
An officer was shot in the chest and later released from hospital with minor injuries, police said.
Police said their attempts to negotiate with the suspect during the ensuing standoff included sending remote cameras into the residence, which were all shot at and disabled.
The Special Investigations Unit, Ontario’s police watchdog, said in a statement Saturday that it is investigating the circumstances surrounding the “serious injury” the suspect suffered after he was shot by a police officer.
Niagara police on Monday said the accused remains in hospital, but they could not provide further details due to the SIU investigation. Const. Richard Hingley said police anticipate further charges against Tronko, but did not specify the possible offences.
“When the SIU is finished with their portion of the incident, we will be in a better position to release more information,” Hingley wrote in an email.
Marc MacDonald, a spokesperson for the City of Welland, confirmed Monday that Tronko’s previous alleged bylaw infractions include a fencing issue on city property, keeping chickens and digging in a road without authorization.
Police have previously said Tronko was “well known” to local residents and to city staff in Welland, but did not elaborate.
Mark Carl, CEO of Habitat for Humanity Niagara and a former Welland city councillor, said some of the organization’s employees were working next door at the time of the shooting on Friday and they were shaken when they heard shots ring out.
Carl recalled that Tronko had frequently attended city council meetings in the past and often made presentations to officials. He said Habitat for Humanity is currently building homes next to Tronko’s property, and at one point he had talked to site workers about property lines.
“He had a lot of signs on his property that were ‘sovereign nation,’ so he really believed in kind of his own sovereign area that was his property,” Carl said in a phone interview.
“He was OK to talk to, he was reasonable, but he was also very protective of his property and his property rights.”
The site of the shooting is listed online as the location of the Church of Higher Consciousness, with Daniel Tronko named among its “elders” on the board of directors.
Both Niagara police and the SIU continue to investigate the shooting. Officials are urging anyone who may have information about the case, including video or photos, to contact investigators.
Friday’s events forced road closures and lockdowns at local schools and hospitals which have since been lifted, and police have said there is no remaining threat to public safety.
With files from Cassidy McMackon
