News Release
SIU Discontinues Investigation into Woman’s Fall from Balcony in Nepean
Case Number: 22-OCI-253
The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, has terminated an investigation into the serious injury suffered by a 28-year-old woman in September when she fell from an apartment balcony.
In the afternoon of September 27, 2022, Ottawa Police Service officers were dispatched to an apartment building in Nepean following calls about a domestic disturbance. When an officer arrived on scene, the woman was on her balcony, about four metres from ground level. She indicated she did not wish to live anymore and proceeded to climb over the balcony railing. The officer implored her not to jump and then placed a garbage bin under the balcony to cushion the woman’s impact if she fell. Within moments of doing so, the woman fell from the balcony onto the bin, suffering a fractured left elbow in the process.
Based on the SIU’s preliminary inquiries, Director Martino was satisfied that the investigation should be discontinued. It was obvious that the officer did nothing to cause or contribute to the woman’s fall. Accordingly, there being patently nothing to investigate as far as the officer’s potential criminal liability was concerned, the file has been closed.
The SIU is an independent government agency that investigates the conduct of officials (police officers as well as 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.
Kristy Denette, siu.media@ontario.ca
SIU Communications/Service des communications, UES