Warning: This article contains details that may be disturbing and triggering for readers. A civil lawyer, who filed a $17.5 million lawsuit against South Simcoe and Ontario Provincial police, says the family of Liam and Dylan Hatton is seeking accountability following the deadly August 2024 shooting. In the statement of claim, the lawsuit alleges South Simcoe police officers used excessive force in the shooting that killed Liam Hatton and wounded his brother Dylan, who was taken to hospital in life-threatening condition. “The Hatton family decided to file this lawsuit because they want accountability and they want answers,” said Asha James, managing partner at Falconers LLP. “Of course, we understand that officers need to ensure their safety as well, but they are trained for these situations and in our point of view, they did not handle the situation appropriately. Liam should be alive today and he’s not.” The Hatton family, James states, has been devastated by the tragedy and regrets having called police for help. “To have called police for assistance on that day and for it to have ended the way it had ended, is just unimaginable,” said the lawyer. “The Hatton family is seeking accountability. They want those who were responsible for the killing of their son Liam and injuring Dylan and the emotional trauma that this has brought onto the family to bear the consequences of that.” South Simcoe police officers had responded to a call for help from the Hatton family at their Shoreview Drive home at about 3 p.m. Aug. 15, 2024. The lawsuit claims the family called police to report a domestic disturbance with the teens being in the midst of a ‘mental health crisis.’ A Special Investigations Unit (SIU) probe cleared the officers of criminal wrongdoing months later. The report concluded the police officers faced the “very real possibility” of being run over when Dylan Hatton tried to reverse the SUV he had taken control of when his brother was shot for trying to drive away, despite being told to get out of the vehicle. The lawsuit argues police officers ignored the family’s request to help de-escalate the situation, saying Liam and Dylan got behind the wheel of an SUV and tried to leave the property. Liam was shot in the head and killed. Dylan grabbed the wheel and was shot five times by three officers. The report concluded the actions of the responding officers were “not unjustified.” Following a parallel and separate investigation by Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), Dylan Hatton, who suffered severe injuries, was charged with four counts of assaulting an officer along with assault causing bodily harm, assault with a weapon and dangerous driving. Those charges were dropped in October 2025. Hatton’s criminal defence lawyer, Adam Weisberg, told CTV News his client was wrongly charged by police in the first place. “On my review of the body cam footage, which was inconsistent with the police notes, it was clear that Mr. Hatton should never have been shot by police. Mr. Hatton should never have been charged by police,” Weisberg said. The family’s civil lawsuit also questions the techniques and standards used by the OPP in the subsequent investigation that led to the charges against Dylan Hatton. “The police officers are there to serve and protect and to preserve life,” James told CTV News. Both police services acknowledged being aware of the lawsuit but declined to comment further while the matter proceeds through the judicial system. The respondents have about three weeks to file a statement of defence. The allegations against them have not been tested in court.
