A trans-identified male is reportedly involved in an armed standoff with police in the small community of Welland, Ontario, Canada. Locals say Daniele Tronko, an “Elder” with the Church of Higher Consciousness, shot a female police officer this morning during a bylaw enforcement dispute.
According to Niagara Regional Police Service, a male is currently barricaded in a property at 114 Second Street in Welland and a standoff is ongoing. While they have not named a suspect, Reduxx has confirmed that the building is owned by Daniel “Daniele” Tronko.
Earlier today, a bylaw enforcement worker visited Tronko’s “church” to discuss an illegal fence that had erected around portions of his property. The discussions reportedly became heated and the bylaw worker called police to assist.
Locals allege that Tronko fired multiple shots at the attending police, and a female police officer is confirmed to have been struck in the chest. The injured officer is being treated for non-life threatening injuries and is believed to have been saved by her bulletproof vest.
Residents in the surrounding neighborhood have been advised to shelter-in-place. The nearby hospital and schools have been closed, and a large swath of the surrounding neighborhood has been locked down. As of the writing of this article, dozens of police cars are still surrounding Tronko’s property.
After the city came to remove fencing the owner of this church, the owner opened fire in Welland hitting an officer resulting in lockdowns of schools, businesses and the hospital 🇨🇦 pic.twitter.com/6avN2X2s7m
— wastedcanadian (@melissacare01) December 19, 2025
Speaking to Reduxx, some locals have reported that Tronko considers his “church” property to be a sovereign nation known as The Free Sovereign Independent State of Bhudan. He does not believe he is subject to Canadian law.
The dilapidated property he owns on Second Street is a former Hungarian Presbyterian Church, but Tronko purchased it in 2012 and converted into a private residence. While some locals report that Tronko attempted to entice congregants into his “religion,” it is unclear if anyone other than Tronko is still involved with the “church,” or if anyone else lives in the building.
Over the years, the property deteriorated and Tronko continued to add fencing and barbed wire around the building. Some neighbors described the property as resembling a self-sufficient “compound,” complete with an extensive garden, small livestock, and a guard dog.
The fencing surrounding the property has various slogans and logos painted on it.
Tronko began to erect a massive fence around the property earlier this year, and has been expanding on it ever since. In November, bylaw officials reportedly began to warn Tronko that the fence was being illegally erected. Locals have stated that these warnings often caused Tronko to erupt in anger.
“He has attacked city employees several times, thinks he has the right to take land belonging to the city and threatened the city with ‘war’ if they touch his new fence,” one local said in a comment under a news update on the shooting on Facebook.
Get this Waco wannabe out of our community please
byu/Practical_Dog1049 inWelland
While the motive behind the shooting is currently unconfirmed, Reduxx has learned from local residents that Tronko had ongoing bylaw and land zoning disputes with the city of Welland.
Tronko vocally opposed a $2-million affordable housing project being built by Habitat for Humanity on the property near his “church,” and had repeatedly gone to the City Council requesting he be allowed to purchase the property instead.
In a 2019 Niagara Falls Review article on the property dispute, Tronko is referred to by “she/her” pronouns. In an interview, Tronko claims his intention was to use the land to grow food to donate to a local charity.
As of the writing of this article, the situation is ongoing and a shelter-in-place for the neighborhood surrounding Tronko’s property has not been lifted.
This is not the first incident involving a trans-identified male causing a community upheaval in Welland, which has a population of just 55,000.
As reported by Reduxx earlier this year, a different trans-identified male named “Daniel” was arrested after breaking in to a family’s home in Welland and sexually assaulting their toddler.
On Sunday, August 31, police and paramedics were called to a home near Crowland Avenue and York Street for a medical assistance call involving a young child. When emergency first responders arrived, they discovered the front door of the home showed signs of being forced open and the child was suffering from serious injuries.
Officers secured the scene and canvassed the neighborhood shortly thereafter. Investigators say a witness came forward with surveillance video, and the suspect was quickly identified as Daniel Senecal.
Senecal was taken into custody and charged with aggravated sexual assault on a child, assault, assault by choking, breaking and entering a home and sexual interference with a child. Senecal’s hearings remain ongoing.
Reduxx is your source of pro-woman, pro-child safeguarding news and commentary. We’re 100% independent! Support our mission by making a one-time donation.
