News Release
SIU Investigates Police Pursuit in Barrie Resulting in the Death of a Pedestrian
Case Number: 08-OVD-096
Other News Releases Related to Case 08-OVD-096
On May 28, 2008, at approximately 8 p.m., an officer with the Barrie Police Service attempted to stop a 2007 Nissan Sentra on Essa Road near Anne Street. It is not known at this time what attracted the officer's attention to the vehicle and its two occupants. The driver refused to pull over. The officer, in a marked cruiser, activated the roof lights. At the intersection of Huronia Road and Yonge Street, the suspect vehicle struck and killed 43-year-old Michael O'Keefe of Barrie. Police found the vehicle south at Yonge Street and D'Ambrosio Drive where it had struck a pole. Officers arrested the 36-year-old male driver a short distance away after a brief foot chase. A woman, who had been an occupant of the vehicle, was spoken to at that location but released by police. A post-mortem examination will be conducted at the Centre of Forensic Sciences in Toronto this afternoon.
The SIU has assigned five investigators, two forensic investigators and an accident reconstructionist to conduct the investigation. One officer has been designated as a subject officer, five others as witness officers.
The SIU is appealing for anyone who may have witnessed any portion of this incident to contact the Unit at 1-800-787-8529.
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