Two weeks after gunsmith's death, SIU has not interviewed police officer who fired gun

Ontario's police watchdog says it is "about to" contact the Toronto officer at the centre of the investigation into the death of gunsmith Rodger Kotanko in early November. 

Kotanko's family and their lawyer say the two-week wait is "concerning."

Special Investigations Unit (SIU) spokesperson Kristy Denette told CBC Hamilton on Friday the unit hasn't made an official request to interview the officer who fired his gun and review his notes but is "in the process" of doing so.

She did not explain why that hadn't been done yet, citing an "active investigation that is in the early stages."

"You would think they would be interviewing him immediately after it takes place rather than waiting two weeks," Jeffrey Kotanko, Rodger's brother, said in a phone interview Friday afternoon.

He said the officer's memory of the incident may have changed in that time.

Michael Smitiuch, the family's lawyer, said the news adds to a long list of unanswered questions about Rodger's death on Nov. 3 at his Norfolk County property.

"It is surprising to me that it would take this long for the SIU to reach out to, perhaps, the most crucial witness in this killing," he said Friday afternoon.

"It's concerning that this much time would go by before they would even make a request."

Toronto police said officers arrived at Kotanko's home on Port Ryerse Road around noon, some in plain clothes and some in tactical gear, on Nov. 3, looking for guns.

Kotanko was inside his gunsmithing workshop and family and friends say the 70-year-old was shot when police approached.

Denette said the SIU has interviewed five of seven witness police officers and two civilian witnesses.

But unlike the witness officers, the male officer who pulled the trigger can choose to skip the interview and not surrender his notes.

Denette said since the officer is the focus of the investigation, he "is granted the same rights as any citizen under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms to protect himself ... from self-incrimination."