SIU Terminates Investigation of Circumstances Surrounding Death of Ottawa Man
Numéro du dossier:
17-OOD-172
Mississauga, ON (13 février 2018) ---
The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Tony Loparco, has terminated an investigation into the conduct of Ottawa police Service (OPS) officers in relation to the death of a 21-year-old man in March of 2017. The SIU was made aware of this occurrence in July of 2017 by a medical professional.
On the morning of March 5, 2017, a family member of the man contacted the OPS to report that the man had sent her a message hours earlier indicating he intended to take his life. Police officers were dispatched to check on the man’s well-being. The family member then also contacted 911, prompting the emergency dispatch of paramedics and firefighters. The Ottawa Fire Service was the first to arrive at the man’s address. They forced their way into the residence as the man appeared to be without vital signs. Paramedics and police arrived shortly after. CPR was performed and the man began breathing again. He was transported to hospital. The man’s condition did not improve and he died two days later.
The pathologist determined the cause of death to be “Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy” due to acute fentanyl, ethanol and lorazepam toxicity.
Director Loparco said, “The man’s death was the result of a drug overdose. The police officers arrived shortly after other first responders, and there was nothing they did or omitted to do that contributed to the man’s death. Accordingly, I have terminated the investigation into this incident.”
L’UES est un organisme gouvernemental indépendant qui enquête sur la conduite d’agents (agents de police municipaux, régionaux et provinciaux, agents du Service de police Nishnawbe-Aski, agents spéciaux de la Commission des parcs du Niagara et agents de la paix du Service de protection de l’Assemblée législative) qui pourrait avoir entraîné un décès, une blessure grave, la perpétration de violences sexuelles ou la décharge d’une arme à feu sur une personne. Toutes les enquêtes sont menées par des enquêteurs de l'UES qui sont des civils. En vertu de la Loi sur l'Unité des enquêtes spéciales, le directeur de l'UES doit :
- considérer si un agent a commis une infraction criminelle en lien avec l'incident faisant l'objet de l'enquête;
- selon le dossier de preuve, faire porter une accusation criminelle contre l'agent, s'il existe des motifs de le faire, ou clôre le dossier sans faire porter d'accusations;
- rendre compte publiquement des résultats de ses enquêtes.
Read this news release in English.
