www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday December 5, 2007 - 3 Neighbours heard yelling and gunshots Continued from page 1 others so officers respond and they found that the man had left in a car," said Rose Bliss, SIU Communications. "The police gathered information about the car and the licence plate and they begin their investigation. A short time later at approximately 2:17 a.m. two officers saw the car at Cairncroft and Lakeshore and they start to follow it." Additional officers were called and all units followed the car into Wedgewood Park where it came to a stop against the Dalewood Drive resident's fence. The resident said she is used to commotion in the park as local teenagers often hang out there, however, it was soon clear to all that what was taking place was much more serious. "We heard the yelling and then we opened up our window to hear four gunshots just, boom, boom, boom, boom and then their conversation went on," said the resident. "The first four shots could have easily been his (Remian's) gun because he did mention something about still having some rounds in his gun." "He was upset, his language was foul, he made some comment about working hard for many years and getting nothing in return." Neighbour Other neighbours also confirmed hearing these initial shots, which one said sounded like a metal drum being struck. The final volley of gunshots, which neighbours said occurred about 15-20 minutes later, was described as sounding like firecrackers. After the first shots the Dalewood Drive resident said police went to great lengths just to get Remian to roll down his window so they could talk with him. It was not until that moment the gravity of what they were listening to became apparent to the residents. "This man was very, very distraught and he was yelling, `You don't know what it's like,' and how he's lost his job," she said. "At that point in time, he was going to kill himself." Another neighbour, who also requested not to be identified, described a similar sit- uation. "He was upset, his language was foul, he made some comment about working hard for many years and getting nothing in return," he said. "His speech wasn't terribly clear." What is known is that at approximately 2:30 a.m. three officers fired their weapons killing Remian when he got out of his car. SIU, the civilian organization that investigates civilian injuries or deaths involving police, is continuing to investigate the circumstances of the shooting. A rifle was recovered from the scene, however, SIU will not say if it was loaded, fired or if it was even in Remian's possession when he was killed. "We are still trying to gather and access all the evidence and we want to have an opportunity to speak with witnesses and get their statements and then corroborate those with all the other evidence before we conclusively say what is factual," said Bliss. Halton police are also saying nothing about the shooting, but not by choice. "Once SIU invokes their mandate to investigate, we can't comment, we're forbidden to," said Halton Police Inspector Dave Gwilliams. "Once SIU invokes their mandate to investigate, we can't comment, we're forbidden to. I can't say anything in relation to the investigation or the incident itself." Inspector Dave Gwilliams, Halton Regional Police "I can't say anything in relation to the investigation or the incident itself until such time as the SIU has completed their investigation." Remian's background is another area the SIU investigation will delve into, noting he was a resident of Oakville who moved to British Columbia, but had recently returned to Ontario. In a disturbing twist to this incident the name "Steve Remian" surfaced at the Robert "Willie" Pickton murder trial in New Westminster, B.C. when jurors were informed that the name was found on the label of a suitcase, which was found in Pickton's workshop. Pickton, who is accused of being the worst serial killer in Canadian history, was also connected to Remian by two hairs on a blanket found in Pickton's motor home. In April jurors were told DNA testing had revealed that one hair belonged to Pickton while the second belonged to a Steve Remian. A source involved in the Oakville shooting investigation has also stated that the man police shot had been charged with sexual assault earlier in life, but had been acquitted while his co-accused was convicted. Many of those who witnessed Remian's last moments believe that he gave the police no choice but to kill him, a reaction, the Dalewood Drive witness noted, the man may have wanted. "People have been talking about this being `suicide by cop' (where a suicidal person puts police in a situation where they have to open fire) and that doesn't shock me at all," she said. "There was only one cop that we heard talking to him for the entire incident and he did a great job. I still feel for that cop because he has to live with this for the rest of his life." While much has been made about the incident taking place in Oakville's affluent and usually quiet east end, the Dalewood Drive resident noted that that is not the tragedy. "A guy was down and out and he just took the wrong road into an area that led to nothing," she said. "A man died and all those cops will be affected and I personally wasn't able to sleep last night. Hearing gunshots is not something you hear everyday. 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