News Release
SIU Concludes Investigation into Brantford Death
Case Number: 09-OCD-010
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TORONTO (27 February, 2009) --- The Director of the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) has concluded that there are no reasonable grounds to believe that an officer of the Brantford Police Service (BPS) committed any criminal offence in relation to the death of a 32-year-old Oakville man in Brantford in late January 2009.
Mr. Benjamin Wood has been interacting with an officer of the Brantford Police Service in the early morning hours of Tuesday, January 20, 2009. Mr. Wood ventured out onto the ice surface of the Grand River near the Brantford Casino. A short time after doing so BPS officers saw Mr. Wood going through the ice. Members of the Ontario Provincial Police Underwater Search and Recovery Unit located Mr. Wood's body at noon that same day.
A post mortem conducted on Mr. Wood determined that Mr. Wood died of drowning and hypothermia.
The SIU assigned four investigators and two forensic investigators to probe the circumstances of this incident.
SIU Director Ian Scott said, "The BPS officer followed a set of shoe prints from a stolen car to the bank of the Grand River. He found Mr. Wood standing near the bank on the ice-covered river and asked him to get off the ice. Mr. Wood approached the officer and a struggle ensued. The officer pulled back from Mr. Wood and Mr. Wood ran back out onto the ice. Other officers responded and pleaded with Mr. Wood to get off the ice. Mr. Wood would not do so, but instead walked and then ran out into the centre of the ice-covered river. He fell through the ice and drowned."
Director Scott concluded, "I cannot find any criminal liability linking the actions of the BPS officer with the unfortunate death of Mr. Wood."
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