OPP found a man and 2 women dead in a Huntsville home. The SIU is investigating

A gunman who barricaded himself in his Huntsville, Ont., home on Friday has died along with two women, Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and Special Investigations Unit (SIU) investigators say.

At around 9:00 p.m. Friday, Ontario Provincial Police said they received a call about a shooting on Highview Drive in Huntsville, Ontario, about 200 kilometers north of Toronto. Around that time, they were also contacted by a man in the area who said he was home with a gun and had harmed two members of his family, according to an SIU release Saturday.

The OPP sent a response team of crisis negotiators to the residence, setting up a perimeter while continuing to speak with the 52-year-old man on the phone, the SIU said.

At some point, communication with the man was lost, and the police sent a drone inside to search the apartment, the SIU reported. The drone found the dead bodies of two women and one man.

Because the deceased was communicating with the police, the SIU exercised its mandate. OPZ is investigating the murder.

Investigators have not released more details about how the three people found inside died. They are asking anyone who may have more information about the death to come forward.

The SIU is an independent agency that investigates police actions in incidents that result in death, serious injury, gunshots or allegations of sexual assault.

OPP say there is currently no threat to public safety, but local residents should expect a heavy police presence on Highview Drive this weekend.