Central Elgin man charged with second-degree murder

Devon Vandendriessche, 36, of Central Elgin has been charged with second-degree murder following a shooting on North Street in Sparta on Saturday, Jan. 1.

He’s being held in custody until an appearance at the Elgin County courthouse in St. Thomas on Friday, Jan. 7.

Constable Norm Kelso of Elgin Ontario Provincial Police, in a statement, said local officers and members of the Ontario West Region Emergency Response Team responded to the initial incident on North Street at 6:50 p.m.

An injured man was taken by ambulance to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The identity of the victim is being withheld pending notification of next of kin, Const. Kelso said. A post-mortem was scheduled to be conducted on the victim on Sunday, Jan. 2.