The province's Serious Incident Response Team has cleared members of Halifax Regional Police in the death of a man in February.

The 25-year-old died after shooting himself in the head, while running from police on Blowers Street to Barrington at about 4:45 a.m. on Feb. 9.

SIRT investigators say a man suspected of firing a shot in the city's downtown about 30 minutes earlier ran from officers when he was approached.

"As the officers gave chase, [the suspect] suddenly fell to the ground after he fired a gun he had been carrying in his waist band. The round struck him in his right ear," said Ronald MacDonald, director of SIRT, in a news release.

Paramedics transported the 25-year-old man to hospital where he died from his injuries.

The medical examiner determined the shot was from close range and was an accidental shot from the man's own gun.

MacDonald said the SIRT investigation determined the officers involved had reasonable grounds to detain the man.

"Video of the incident confirmed they had no contact with him at any time before he was shot by his own gun. They had a duty to attempt to detain the male, and committed no criminal offences by any of their actions," the investigation concluded.

SIRT is responsible for investigating all serious incidents involving police in Nova Scotia, whether or not there is an allegation of wrongdoing.