A Niagara Regional Police officer has been charged with attempted murder in the shooting of another police officer last November.

The province's Special Investigations Unit said Thursday that it has "reasonable grounds" to believe an officer committed criminal offences when a 52-year old police officer was shot in Pelham. The Standard has previously identified the wounded officer as Const. Nathan Parker.

An investigation by the SIU into the Nov. 29, 2018, shooting found NRP officers were in the area of Effingham Street and Roland Road to investigate a collision that happened days earlier. Two of the police officers became involved in an altercation at about noon and one of the officers discharged his firearm multiple times.

The second officer was struck and suffered serious injuries.

Det. Sgt. Shane Donovan has been charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault and assault with a weapon.

The SIU said he will appear in court on April 18.

"There is little doubt that this incident has had a tremendous impact on our community and our members," Niagara Regional Police Chief Bryan MacCulloch said in a statement released late Thursday afternoon. "At this time, we must respect the judicial process and allow this matter to continue to unfold before the courts."

MacCulloch added it was an isolated incident and asked for the public's continued support of its members and all those involved.

Police were scheduled to hold a press conference about the charges at police headquarters in Niagara Falls Thursday night.

Police services board chair Ken Gansel also issued a statement.

"This incident is clearly deeply concerning and we offer our full support to Chief Bryan MacCulloch and the command team as they work with both the SIU and the OPP while supporting the members of the Niagara Regional Police Service," he said.

"On behalf of the police services board, I would like to thank the community for their ongoing trust as we move through this judicial process."

The SIU is an arm's-length agency that investigates all incidents of serious injury, death or sexual assault involving police in Ontario.

Donovan headed up the NRP's collision reconstruction unit at the time of the incident. Members were in Pelham investigating an alleged impaired driving collision that had happened Nov. 12 in which a driver failed to negotiate a curb, entered a ditch and struck a tree. The vehicle burst into flames and was destroyed.

Parker is a constable with 28 years of service with the NRP and at the time of the shooting was assigned to uniform patrol in Welland and Pelham. He had made news in the past as the subject of four disciplinary hearings, three of which involved violence against civilians.

Parker was treated at the Pelham scene and transported to an area hospital before being moved by Orgne air ambulance to Hamilton in critical condition. There was no word Thursday on what his current condition is and status returning to work.

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