News Release

SIU Discontinues Kenora Investigation

Case Number: 24-PCI-312   

Mississauga, ON (20 November, 2024) ---
The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, has terminated an investigation into the serious injury suffered by a 72-year-old man in July in Kenora.

While impaired by alcohol and operating a pick-up truck, the man returned to his home in Kenora in the evening of July 20, 2024, crashing his vehicle into his residence. This was reported to police. Ontario Provincial Police officers arrived at the house and, allowed inside by the man’s wife, found him asleep in a bedroom. The man awoke and rose to his feet, lost his balance, and fell against a wall.  

Based on the SIU’s preliminary inquiries, Director Martino was satisfied that the investigation should be discontinued. The impact of the man’s arm hitting the wall is what broke the man’s arm. The officers had nothing to do with it. On this record, it was apparent that there was patently nothing to investigate as far as the potential criminal liability of any police officer 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