A 27-year-old Hamilton man wanted on a Canada-wide warrant has been shot dead by police in Peterborough.

Billy Shea was pronounced dead in hospital after being shot Tuesday night, said the Special Investigations Unit.

The police oversight body probing the fatal shooting noted that Shea's family gave permission to release his name.

Police spotted Shea's vehicle around 8:30 p.m. near Millbrook and followed as it drove on Highway 115.

His car was a "vehicle of interest" because it was believed to have been involved in a number of robberies in the Barrie area, said SIU spokesperson Monica Hudon.

Soon after, Shea's vehicle collided with another vehicle.

Police "contained the area" and began negotiations with Shea, she said.

Around 9:40 p.m., one officer fired his gun, and Shea was hit. He was transported to hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Hudon said she didn't have enough information to comment on whether Shea was also wanted by the Ontario Provincial Police and Hamilton police on Canada-wide warrants.

But according to those police releases, Shea was a federal parolee who was wanted for an armed robbery in Hamilton.

A woman who said she saw part of the interaction before the shooting shared a short video of the chaotic scene on Facebook. Cassie Wildman said in a post that she was driving when a red Mustang came flying from the Highway 115 off-ramp, over the median and toward her car.

She swerved to avoid him and he hit the car behind her, she said. A police officer "right on his tail with sirens/ lights full on" flew out of his cruiser with his gun drawn.

She pulled over and within 30 seconds there were several officers with their guns drawn in what she described as a "standoff." Scared by the guns, she drove away.

WARNING: Facebook video contains graphic language

In May, the Provincial Repeat Offender Parole Enforcement (ROPE) squad said they were looking for Shea for breaching his statutory release.

He was serving a sentence of just over five years and one month for multiple counts of robbery and vehicle theft.

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The 27-year-old was known to frequent Hamilton, Burlington and Niagara areas.

Last week, Hamilton police issued a press release asking the public for help finding Shea.

He was wanted for a robbery involving a handgun at the Royal Variety convenience store at 418 Whitney Ave., near Main Street West in west Hamilton, July 16.

It's unclear how long or why Shea was in the Peterborough area.

The SIU has assigned six investigators and three forensic investigators to the shooting.

There is one subject officer: the police officer who fired his gun. Five Ontario Provincial Police and seven Peterborough police officers are witnesses.

The SIU is an arms-length agency that investigates incidents involving police in Ontario where someone is seriously hurt or killed, or there is an allegation of sexual assault.

Anyone with information on the Peterborough shooting is asked to call the SIU lead investigator at 1-800-787-8529. Anyone with video is asked to upload evidence through the SIU website.

noreilly@thespec.com

905-526-3199 | @NicoleatTheSpec