Thunder Bay Police hopeful for peaceful ending to North Syndicate Avenue incident

THUNDER BAY -- A standoff at a North Syndicate Avenue residence remains unresolved more than 18 hours after it began.

Thunder Bay Police spokeswoman Julie Tilbury on Wednesday said officers remain on scene negotiating with a 55-year-old man, the sole occupant of the south-side home.

It’s a very fluid situation, Tilbury said.

“We have negotiators on scene that are continuing to speak to him and hopefully we’re going to have a peaceful resolution to this matter,” she said.

Tilbury noted police responded to a 911 call that came in at approximately 10 p.m. on Tuesday, adding it resulted from a domestic dispute.

As a precaution, police have cordoned off the 400 block of North Syndicate Avenue and are asking the public to keep their distance.

It’s believed the suspect has access to weapons inside the home.

“When our officers came on scene there was information that there were firearms inside the house,” Tilbury said.

“As a result the immediate area has been secured and been contained by our officers. They’ve been in contact with all the people who live in that area.”

Tilbury went on to say a number of residents have chosen to leave their homes as a precaution.

“We are keeping people out of that area for their safety. Safety is always foremost and paramount in these types of instances. We just really appreciated the co-operation of the public to stay out of the area,” she said.

“It’s not in anyone’s best interest to go down there. Let the police officers deal with the situation as it is very fluid and can change at any moment.”

Police are unsure how long the standoff will last.

“We are always hopeful there will be a quick, positive solution to these (situations),” Tilbury said. “However in this situation we have someone in distress. We have our negotiators speaking to this gentleman and we’re just hoping we can come to a point where this male will surrender to our officers and we’ll be able to help him through the process of dealing with this situation.”