The tragic scene keeps playing over and over in Marguerite Stone’s head.
In those images, her neighbour is fatally shot by the OPP when they respond to a call Monday night in the quiet Elmvale neighbourhood she calls home.

No matter how many times she goes over it, however, the events of June 22 fail to make sense.
Stone, 79, has lived on Lawson Avenue in Elmvale for many years, and has many unanswered questions about the death of Doug Minty. The 59-year-old man was shot “at least once” by a Huronia West OPP officer at 8:30 p.m.

Police responded to a call to the Minty home when a door-to-door water heater salesperson called about a confrontation there. Described as developmentally challenged, Stone estimates Minty’s mental capacity to be that of a 12 year old.

According to witnesses, the tragic event on Lawson Avenue unfolded as a police officer approached the home, and Minty walked down the driveway towards him. The officer started to back up and up to five shots were fired.

“We tried to revive him, but we couldn’t,” said a clearly upset Stone. “I just don’t understand why they had to do this … Why couldn’t they use a Taser? I think the police reacted very poorly."
What happened that night is now under investigation by the Special Investigations Unit, a civilian agency that probes cases of serious injury or death involving police and civilians.

Stone believes Minty may have been defending his 81-year-old mother Evelyn, who also lives in the home.
Stone said she talked to the salesperson that night and found him to be friendly.
“The salesman ... told me he was calling police. I told him that Doug is mentally-challenged, but he said he didn’t have to take that from anybody,” she said.
“It amazed me that Doug was that upset. He came out on the driveway on his own.”

She wondered if Minty knew the person approaching him was a police officer.
“The man that was doing the selling was in a black uniform, and the police officer was wearing black. He didn’t have a hat on. Mind you, the police car was out there.
“He had just talked to the salesman through the door, and thought this was somebody else coming to harass his mother,” she opined.

Minty was transported to Royal Victoria Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. An autopsy was completed yesterday, revealing the cause of death was consistent with a gunshot wound. Frank Phillips, SIU communications, would not comment on how many wounds there were, pending the investigation and the coroner’s report.

Stone said Minty was shy and not very chatty, but was very helpful to her and a few other seniors on the street.
“I never heard him say no, especially to his mom. She’d ask him to get the clothes off the line, get the coffee or say it was time to cut the grass today.”

If Stone was out planting flowers, Minty would come and help.
Like many of the neighbours, she doesn’t understand why police didn’t use a Taser or pepper spray to subdue Minty, if he was being aggressive.

“He was a very gentle person,” said William Morrison, another neighbour. “He took the garbage out and mowed lawns.”
Morrison didn’t see anything laying on the driveway or street that looked like a weapon, although some believe they saw Minty’s glasses on the lawn.

“After he was shot, the officer yelled at him to breathe, breathe, but he had bullet holes in his stomach and one in his chest. After that, there were a lot of people here, and they got that officer outta here pretty quickly.”

His wife Mable said some of the neighbours counted on Minty’s help with chores, and they may not be able to stay in town any longer. “This is a real bungled job by the police, as far as I’m concerned.”

-With files from Torstar News Service