A 15-hour standoff with a barricaded man in London Ont., on Saturday culminated in two police officers being shot, a man being arrested, and a neighbourhood reeling from a tense all-day ordeal.
Here’s what we know so far:
- Joel Cameron, 41, was killed. He is being remembered as a father and a plumber who always had a smile on his face.
- Two London police officers were shot at about 7:30 p.m. Saturday. They were taken to hospital with serious but not life-threatening injuries. Their conditions are not known.
- Adrian Neil Campbell, 42, has been charged with second degree murder and two counts of attempted murder.
- Friends tell CBC News that Campbell and Cameron knew each other.
The day-long standoff began when police were called to 621 Kipps Lane at around 5 a.m. Saturday. When they arrived they found Cameron seriously injured. He was declared dead a short time later.
Police began negotiating with a man they believe was armed who had barricaded in a sixth-floor unit of the apartment building, sometimes blaring loud music and taunting police through his social media pages. The man posted videos from inside the unit, including one that showed him allowing another man out while police stood guard outside.
“It’s been a pretty crazy and hectic situation, there’s just so many emotions going on,” said Wendy Mallow, who lives on the floor where the incident took place.
The barricaded man was arrested at about 8:30 p.m., about an hour after the two police officers were shot. It was the culmination of a tense day which saw heavily-armed tactical officers fanning out on balconies on surrounding apartment buildings.
Every day our front line <a href=”https://twitter.com/lpsmediaoffice?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@lpsmediaoffice</a> officers put themselves in harms way to serve our community. On behalf of Council: you have our sincere thanks for everything you and the members of <a href=”https://twitter.com/LdnPoliceAssoc?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@LdnPoliceAssoc</a> do every day.<br><br>Our thoughts are with them for a full and speedy recovery. <a href=”https://t.co/yaLP6p6feA”>https://t.co/yaLP6p6feA</a>
—@JoshMorganLDN
Neighbours ‘shaken up’
Residents who live at the building say police were on every floor during the Saturday standoff, and provided supervision to anyone who needed to leave the building for emergencies.
Mallow told CBC News she woke up early morning Saturday to multiple police officers with riot shields in the sixth–floor hallway.
“Throughout the day, there was crime scene tape going around my building and they blocked off the parking lot.” she said. “You could just hear for hours, the man blaring music and screaming at the police.”
The barricaded man was having challenges with his mental health and substance use, Mallow said. She and several neighbours complained to building management, Medallion Corporation, on numerous occasions about the man who was arrested, but there wasn’t much of a response, Mallow told CBC News.
The incident came as a major shock to Kai Ramnarace, who has lived in the apartment complex for almost two years and knew the suspect. Ramnarace said he is mentally exhausted from the stress of trying to find out what was happening during the standoff..
“It was weird, we couldn’t really do anything, but I was constantly on edge and looking out the window,” he said.
“You would hear gunshots and they were really loud, so every time I’d hear a sound, I would rush to the door, and I was up late watching everything that was going on, just trying to stay in the loop while also staying safe in my apartment.”
The man who was eventually arrested worked as a DJ and would often blast really loud music from his unit, Ramnarace said.
“I know the guy and I never expected this, I knew things were going downhill for him but I didn’t see this coming,” he said.
