According to the emergency services, previous emergency call had nothing to do with fatal shooting in Windsor

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An emergency call to the police on Friday morning about a man armed with a knife in the Downtown Mission in Windsor has no connection to a fatal shooting involving a police officer shortly afterwards, says the head of the mission.

“The police came and arrested the gentleman, who has since been released,” he said.Managing Director Rukshini Ponniah-Goulin told the Star.

“Nobody was stabbed. He just had a knife and may have threatened someone. The police were called and took care of it.”

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Ponniah-Goulin said mission staff called police to report that someone was standing in the mission’s backyard with a knife, just a few blocks from where a fatal altercation occurred that left another man dead.

Windsor police were called to the 700 block of Goyeau Street around 10:30 a.m. Friday after a disturbance was reported at a nearby convenience store. During an altercation between officers and an individual, two officers fired shots, according to Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit, which is investigating the incident.

Jason West, 57, died in hospital later that day. Without giving details, the SIU said two knives were involved in the incident.

After the mission’s emergency call, Ponniah-Goulin said, the staff were evacuated to the rear of the former The Windsor Public Library building across the street on Ouellette Avenue is closed due to a possible overdose.

“While staff were there, someone said they thought someone had been stabbed in the bushes,” Ponniah-Goulin told the Star. “Our staff went into the bushes, heard the gunshots and returned to the mission.”

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“I think they initially thought it might have something to do with Jason, but it had nothing to do with that.”

Ponniah-Goulin said West came into the mission from time to time to get something to eat but never stayed. He often preferred to stay outside, she said.

“I’m told that some people really liked him and had a really good relationship with him, both our guests and our staff,” Ponniah-Goulin said. “But I believe that there were times throughout the years when he may not have been well and he may have behaved erratically or shown danger or disrespect to others.”

Ponniah-Goulin said West had not been with the mission for several months.

The Downtown Mission hosts a memorial service every Friday in its dining room to remember recent deaths and provide guests with an opportunity to remember and talk about those who are no longer with us.

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