The province's Special Investigations Unit has launched an investigation into the shooting death of a wanted man after a standoff with police Tuesday night in the south end of Peterborough.

The SIU confirmed Wednesday that Billy Shea, 27, was shot and killed during the standoff, saying Shea's family consented to the release of his name.

City police reported Wednesday that officers spotted a stolen car in Millbrook on Tuesday at about 8:30 p.m. and followed it into the city. At the time the officers believed the car had been involved in some robberies in the Barrie area, according to the SIU.

The stolen car, a red Mustang, and an SUV driven by another civilian collided at about 8:45 p.m. on the Highway 7/115 northbound off-ramp approaching the intersection, injuring several people.

Officers contained the area and began negotiations with Shea, according to the SIU. The standoff between heavily armed police officers and Shea, who was armed, ended around 9:40 p.m. when Shea was shot by a city police officer and taken to Peterborough Regional Health Centre, the SIU reported. Shea was pronounced dead at the hospital, city police reported Wednesday.

An autopsy is planned for Thursday morning, the SIU reported.

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 7/115 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.

Shea was the subject of an OPP Repeat Offender Parole Enforcement squad notice in May after he breached his parole conditions, after serving a sentence of just over five years and one month for multiple counts of robbery and vehicle theft, and again in June after he was connected to an armed robbery in Hamilton. Hamilton police were looking for Shea after a West Hamilton store was robbed by a man with a handgun on July 16. The OPP warned the public at that time that Shea was armed and dangerous.

The SIU conducts independent investigations when police actions result in serious injury, death or allegations of sexual assault.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the SIU's lead investigator at 1-800-787-8529.

Anyone with video is asked to upload evidence through the SIU website.

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

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

Witnesses said people who had been driving in the area and were forced to stop after the collision fled on foot as the standoff began. City police earlier closed roads in the area and urged people to stay away while the standoff continued.

Roads remained closed after the standoff ended, including all the Highway 7/115 ramps in both directions onto The Parkway. Traffic on Sir Sandford Fleming Drive was blocked at Fisher Drive and traffic on The Parkway was blocked at Crawford Drive. There was still access to the nearby Shorelines Casino Peterborough and the Major Bennett Industrial Park.

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

The roads had fully reopened by just after 1 p.m., city police said.

- with files from Nicole O'Reilly, Hamilton Spectator