A 73-year-old man was killed by police in Canada just hours after refusing to wear a face mask in a grocery store, the country's public broadcaster the CBC reported Thursday. 

The man allegedly assaulted a grocery store employee Wednesday after he was asked to follow laws about wearing face coverings to slow the spread of the coronavirus, the CBC said, citing Ontario police. 

The man refused, according to an employee at the store in Minden, about 120 miles (200 kilometres) north of Toronto, and fled after the incident. 

Police were called but did not stop the suspect's car "in the interest of public safely," they said. Instead, they used his license plate to find his house. 

Two officers were involved in the shooting, which was also confirmed by an independent investigation.

The man died shortly after being transported to a hospital, according to a statement from Ontario's Special Investigations Unit (SIU). 

The man's identity is still unknown. 

"From the scene, a semi-automatic rifle and a pistol were collected," plus the weapons of two police officers, the SIU said. 

An autopsy is planned for Friday.