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Huron Expositor, 2014-09-17, Page 22 Huron Expositor • Wednesday, September 17, 2014 Police lockdown community north of Clinton after man killed in shooting frustratesnce residents Jane Sims and John Miner QM! Agency How and why a man was shot to death near a conserva- tion area remained a mystery late Sunday, after a weekend when people vented on social media about lack of informa- tion about a police dragnet that fell over the rural area north of London. Unconfirmed reports were that two people riding horses — a man and a woman — were shot and the man died. People in the Clinton area, in Huron County, were told to lock their doors and stay inside — a warning reminiscent of 2007, when triple killer Jesse Imeson was on the lam and the OPP were looking for him. By Sunday afternoon, after the OPP said only that they'd investigated a shooting and found a man's body, area resi- dents weren't quite as jumpybut police still maintained a wide perimeter along rural roads in Central Huron, where they'd been since Saturday evening after reports of the shooting. No one had been arrested, police told The Free Press. But while the OPP is investigating all leads, "we do not have a description of a suspect at this point" Huron OPP Const Jamie Stanleywrote in an e-mail. "I think the point where the public needs to be concerned has somewhat passed now," said Central Huron Mayor Jim Ginn. "The OPP are still advising that people use a little bit of caution, but to go about their regular routine:' The man's body was found near the Hullett Wildlife Con- servation Area, but it took 20 hours before a sparse OPP statement confirmed police were investigating a shooting and a man was dead. "I was terrified last night," said Diane Proper, who lives in Vanastra and was checking a business where she works close to a police roadblock Sunday morning. "I went out and locked the car, locked the trailer and kept our dogs close," she said. "It is really hard to knowwhat to do, who is safe Diane's husband, Rob, said the couple were worried about the safety of a grandson visiting a home near the area north of This week only when you spend $1.00 on a delicious chocolate chunk Smile Cookie, Tim Hortons will donate the entire proceeds to Eat & Learn Huron Perth School Nutrition Program. fAT © Tim Hortons, 2010 To find out more visit timhortons.com Vat Iforkwi Idele."7";e7-7erWith You, Making Good Things Happen. Clinton that remains sealed off by police. "There is just no information. We are concerned for every- one he said. In the information vaccuum, social media exploded with people posting all sorts of unsubstantiated details, the couple said. "If police would open up it would give us something to go on:' said Rob. The tight-lipped police stance also triggered criticism on social media. "Police usually have good reasons to do what they do, but lockdown of Clinton -area resi- dents for this long is unusual. Info, pls.," one man tweeted. Late Sunday, responding to Free Press questions, the OPP confirmed an emergency response team was searching for evidence and the investiga- tion was still in its early stages. Ginn said he spoke to police a couple of times Sunday, but they said litde. He sensed they'd be in the area for several days, perhaps searching the 2,000 -hectare conservation area, a haven for hunters and nature lovers. Saturday was the last day of goose -hunting season. Sunday, there were fewer police cruisers in the area and reports a command post had been taken down. Diane Proper said there are horse trails throughout the con- servation area and there were a lot of horses there this week- end. Bird-dog training sessions and competitions are also held at die marsh. Rumours sent shocicwaves across the rural area. "We have hunting accidents or even farm machinery accidents, but something like this is totally out of our realm," said Marianne Dykstra, who lives near the sealed -off area. Still, there didn't seem to be "a sense of urgency" among the police officers at the scene. Marianne Dykstra said the couple were able to check her husband's father's farm down one of the sideroads. "There are police cars on the sideroads, but you can get through there' Cruisers and officers were situated along London Rd. (for- merly Hwy. 4) and at the ends of Conservation Rd. and Hydro Line Rd. between Clinton and Londesborough. Traffic was diverted from rural roads, with several people stopped at the road blocks and told they couldn't pass into the area. Police had at least one road taped off as a crime scene, with an ambulance waiting nearby on standby. Police asked people to avoid the area. Vice president of Toronto area construction company suspected victim Update: Monday, Sept. 15 Employees at a Toronto area construction firm were "in a daze" Monday morning after realizing the vice president of their companywas shot dead in Clinton on the weekend. Police have not publicly identified the victim of a myste- rious shooting that rattled Huron County Saturday evening. But friends say it was Don Frigo, the vice president of Hady Construction Group, based in Etobicoke. "We are in a daze here, we are stunned," said Peter Nacca- rato, who has worked with Frig° for more than 30 years. "This is not something anybody is pre- pared to receive -- news like this. Ifs very sad:' Frigo said colleagues had heard of the shooting over the weekend, and knew Frigo and his wife Eva were there for a dog and horse meet. But it wasn't until Monday morning, when they saw an online thread trib- ute to Frigo on the Ontario Out of Doors website, that they real- ized it was him. Unconfirmed reports on the weekend were that two people riding horses at the Hullett Pro- vincial Wildlife Area — a man and a woman — were shot and the man died. OPP launched a huge opera- tion and were searching for evi- dence in the region all week- end, but as of Monday morning had not arrested anybody and had not released a description of a suspect Police expected to release an update later Monday. Naccarato said he had "not a clue," who would have wanted to hurt Frigo. "Nobody knows anything!' On the Amateur Field Trials Clubs ofAmerica, one member wrote a tribute to Frigo, praising "Don was a long time, much respected Shooting Dog Owner/Amateur Handler with many successes. . . He was a true gentleman and most gra- cious, winning and losing:' OFFICE HOURS The Office Hours for The Seaforth Huron Expositor are as follows Mondays - 9am - 5pm Tuesdays - CLOSED Wednesdays - 9am - 5pm Thursdays - 9am - 5pm Fridays - 9am - 5pm Seaforth Won Expositor 8 Main Street, Seaforth ON PH: 519-527-0240 www. seaforthhuronexpositor .com