SIU Discontinues Ottawa Investigation into Man’s Fall from Apartment Balcony
Case Number:
26-OCI-258
Mississauga, ON (1 October, 2026) ---
The Deputy Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Stacey O’Brien, has terminated an investigation into the serious injuries suffered by a 26-year-old man in June in Ottawa.
In the afternoon of June 3, 2026, a woman called the Ottawa Police Service Communications Centre via 911. During the call, she was difficult to understand, and the call subsequently became disconnected. An address associated with the phone number was identified, and two patrol units were dispatched to conduct a welfare check. Upon arrival at the unit, officers spoke with the occupants in an effort to identify the caller. At some point during police attendance at the unit, a man went over the balcony. He was located on the ground below, and transported to hospital where he was diagnosed with a fractured left femur and a dislocated right knee.
Based on the SIU’s preliminary inquiries, which included a review of video footage that captured the incident in parts, Deputy Director O’Brien was satisfied that the investigation should be discontinued. The man had had no interaction with police at the time of his descent from the balcony. It was plain and obvious that the police did nothing that could conceivably attract criminal liability in connection with the man’s injuries. There being patently nothing to investigate as far as the potential criminal liability of the police was concerned, the file has been closed.
If you or someone you know has been negatively affected by an incident under SIU investigation and would like support, the Affected Persons Program is here to help. You can reach us at 1-877-641-1897. Support is free, confidential, and available 24/7, every day of the year.
The SIU is an independent government agency that investigates the conduct of officials (municipal, regional and provincial police officers, police officers with the Nishnawbe Aski Police Service, special constables with the Niagara Parks Commission and peace officers with the Legislative Protective Service) that may have resulted in death, serious injury, sexual assault and/or the discharge of a firearm at a person. All investigations are conducted by SIU investigators who are civilians. Under the Special Investigations Unit Act, the Director of the SIU must
- consider whether the official has committed a criminal offence in connection with the incident under investigation
- depending on the evidence, cause a criminal charge to be laid against the official where grounds exist for doing so, or close the file without any charges being laid
- publicly report the results of its investigations
Lisez ce communiqué en français.
Monica Hudon, siu.media@ontario.ca
SIU Communications/Service des communications, UES
