Director's Report Details

The Special Investigations Unit is a civilian law enforcement agency that investigates incidents involving an official where there has been death, serious injury, the discharge of a firearm at a person or an allegation of sexual assault. Under the Special Investigations Unit Act, 2019 (SIU Act), officials are defined as police officers, special constables of the Niagara Parks Commission and peace officers under the Legislative Assembly Act. The SIU’s jurisdiction covers more than 50 municipal, regional and provincial police services across Ontario.

Under the SIU Act, the Director of the SIU must determine based on the evidence gathered in an investigation whether there are reasonable grounds to believe that a criminal offence was committed. If such grounds exist, the Director has the authority to lay a criminal charge against the official. Alternatively, in cases where no reasonable grounds exist, the Director cannot lay charges. Where no charges are laid, a report of the investigation is prepared and released publicly, except in the case of reports dealing with allegations of sexual assault, in which case the SIU Director may consult with the affected person and exercise a discretion to not publicly release the report having regard to the affected person’s privacy interests.

Special Investigations Unit Act, 2019

Pursuant to section 34, certain information may not be included in this report. This information may include, but is not limited to, the following:

• The name of, and any information identifying, a subject official, witness official, civilian witness or affected person.
• Information that may result in the identity of a person who reported that they were sexually assaulted being revealed in connection with the sexual assault.
• Information that, in the opinion of the SIU Director, could lead to a risk of serious harm to a person.
• Information that discloses investigative techniques or procedures.
• Information, the release of which is prohibited or restricted by law.
• Information in which a person’s privacy interest in not having the information published clearly outweighs the public interest in having the information published.

Freedom of Information and Protection of Personal Privacy Act

Pursuant to section 14 (i.e., law enforcement), certain information may not be included in this report. This information may include, but is not limited to, the following:

• Confidential investigative techniques and procedures used by law enforcement agencies; and
• Information that could reasonably be expected to interfere with a law enforcement matter or an investigation undertaken with a view to a law enforcement proceeding.

Pursuant to section 21 (i.e., personal privacy), protected personal information is not included in this report. This information may include, but is not limited to, the following:

• The names of persons, including civilian witnesses, and subject and witness officials;
• Location information;
• Witness statements and evidence gathered in the course of the investigation provided to the SIU in confidence; and
• Other identifiers which are likely to reveal personal information about individuals involved in the investigation.

Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004

Pursuant to this legislation, any information related to the personal health of identifiable individuals is not included.

Other proceedings, processes, and investigations

Information may also have been excluded from this report because its release could undermine the integrity of other proceedings involving the same incident, such as criminal proceedings, coroner’s inquests, other public proceedings and/or other law enforcement investigations.

Pursuant to section 15 of the SIU Act, the SIU may investigate the conduct of officials, be they police officers, special constables of the Niagara Parks Commission or peace officers under the Legislative Assembly Act, that may have resulted in death, serious injury, sexual assault or the discharge of a firearm at a person.

A person sustains a “serious injury” for purposes of the SIU’s jurisdiction if they: sustain an injury as a result of which they are admitted to hospital; suffer a fracture to the skull, or to a limb, rib or vertebra; suffer burns to a significant proportion of their body; lose any portion of their body; or, as a result of an injury, experience a loss of vision or hearing.

In addition, a “serious injury” means any other injury sustained by a person that is likely to interfere with the person’s health or comfort and is not transient or trifling in nature.

This report relates to the SIU’s investigation into the death of a 37-year-old woman (the “Complainant”).

Notification of the SIU[1]

On May 20, 2026, at 5:18 p.m., the Ottawa Police Service (OPS) contacted the SIU with the following information.

At 4:04 p.m., Civilian Witness (CW) #1 called the OPS via 911 to report that a woman, the Complainant, was hanging off the balcony of her apartment building, located in the area of Heatherington Road and Albion Road North, Ottawa. At 4:09 p.m., Witness Official (WO) #1 and Officer #1 arrived and observed the Complainant clinging to the balcony of Apartment #1 [now known to be Apartment #2]. Attempts to gain the attention of the Complainant failed and officers ran to the upper floor where the balcony of Apartment #2 was located. Upon arriving at Apartment #2, the door was locked and there was no response to knocking. As a result, the officers attended Apartment #1 and attempted to talk to the Complainant, who continued hanging from the exterior of the balcony. A short time later, the Complainant jumped and landed below. Ottawa Fire Services (OFS) and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) removed the Complainant, and she was immediately transported to the Ottawa Hospital General Campus (OHGC), where she remained in critical condition. At 5:08 p.m., the Complainant was pronounced deceased at OHGC.

The Team

Date and time team dispatched: 2026/05/20 at 5:26 p.m.

Date and time SIU arrived on scene: 2026/05/20 at 6:29 p.m.

Number of SIU Investigators assigned: 3

Number of SIU Forensic Investigators assigned: 1

Affected Person (aka “Complainant”)

37-year-old female; deceased

Civilian Witnesses

CW #1 Interviewed

CW #2 Interviewed

CW #3 Interviewed

CW #4 Interviewed

CW #5 Interviewed

CW #6 Interviewed

CW #7 Interviewed

The civilian witnesses were interviewed between May 20 and 28, 2026.

Witness Officials (WO)

WO #1 Interviewed; notes received and reviewed

WO #2 Interviewed; notes received and reviewed

The witness officials were interviewed on May 25, 2026.

The Scene

The events in question occurred on and around the balcony of Apartment #2 in a building located in the area of Heatherington Road and Albion Road North, Ottawa.

Video/Audio/Photographic Evidence[2]

OPS Communications Recordings

On May 20, 2026, at 4:02 p.m., the initial 911 call reported a female on an upper floor balcony seemingly ready to jump from a building in the area of Heatherington Road and Albion Road North.

From 4:07 p.m. to 4:10 p.m., additional callers reported the female hanging from the exterior balcony railing, screaming, and appearing to be in distress. Witnesses identified her as the Complainant by her first name.

From 4:09 p.m. to 4:15 p.m., OPS patrol officers arrived at the address, entered the building, and proceeded to the floor of the balcony. OFS, building security and supervisory personnel were notified.

At 4:14 p.m., OPS officers advised they were communicating with a woman [the Complainant] from a neighbouring balcony in Apartment #1.

At 4:20 p.m., the individual was identified as the Complainant.

At 4:21 p.m., officers broadcast that the Complainant had gone over the side of the building and fallen. OFS immediately attended to provide medical care.

From 4:22 p.m. to 4:37 p.m., officers secured the scene, maintained security on involved apartments, and coordinated access to where the Complainant had come to rest.

At 4:55 p.m., the Complainant was transported by EMS to OHGC with police escort.

At 5:13 p.m., officers were advised that the Complainant had been pronounced deceased at OHGC.

Video Footage from the Apartment Building

On May 20, 2026, at 4:22 a.m., the Complainant entered Apartment #2.[3]

At 5:19 a.m., CW #4 and another person entered Apartment #2. The same person entered and left Apartment #2 several times throughout the morning.

At 3:21 p.m., CW #4 left Apartment #2 and locked the door with a key.

At 4:06 p.m., CW #7 was outside the door of Apartment #2 for a period, after which he returned to Apartment #1.

At 4:07 p.m., CW #5 ran from the exit stairwell to Apartment #2.

At 4:08 p.m., CW #7 opened the door of Apartment #1 and, after what appeared to be a brief interaction, let CW #5 into the apartment.

At 4:09 p.m., Witness #1 left Apartment #3 and ran to the door of Apartment #2. He knocked and tried to open the door. It appeared he was looking for a key in his hands and was listening against the door. Three OPS cruisers arrived with their emergency lights activated.

At 4:10 p.m., Witness #1 returned to Apartment #3.

At 4:11 p.m., WO #1 and WO #2 arrived outside of Apartment #2. WO #2 tried the door. Both officers were met by CW #7 and entered Apartment #1.

At 4:13 p.m., Officer #1 and Witness #2 arrived on the floor. WO #1 was at the door of Apartment #1. Officer #1, Witness #2 and WO #1 entered Apartment #1.

At 4:14 p.m., Officer #1 exited Apartment #1 and WO #1 followed. Officer #1 tried the door of Apartment #2 and used his police radio. Witness #3 approached Apartment #2 from the elevators and interacted with Officer #1. Witness #3 knocked on the door of Apartment #2 and then entered Apartment #1.

At 4:17 p.m., WO #1 and Witness #3 tried to open the door to Apartment #2, and WO #1 attempted to look through the security hole. Officer #1 and Witness #2 walked towards two officers outside Apartment #3.

At 4:21 p.m., all officers on the floor were in Apartment #1. CW #5 exited Apartment #1 covering her face. She appeared to say something to Witness #3, who was standing in the hallway. Witness #3 then quickly entered Apartment #1.

At 4:22 p.m., Witness #3 exited Apartment #1 appearing upset, followed by WO #1, WO #2, Officer #1, an unidentified officer, and Witness #2. WO #2 and the unidentified officer set up security outside of Apartment #2. WO #1 left the floor area. Officer #1 remained on the floor.

At 4:50 p.m., the Complainant was loaded into the ambulance for transport. The ambulance left the scene approximately two minutes later.

OPS Body-worn Camera (BWC) – Officer #2

On May 20, 2026, at 4:21:02 p.m., the BWC captured the Complainant as she fell into the camera’s field of view and subsequently landed.

At 4:22 p.m., OFS personnel immediately attended and began providing assistance to the Complainant.

Materials Obtained from Police Service

Upon request, the SIU received the following materials from the OPS between May 21, 2026, and August 19, 2026:

• General Occurrence Report / Executive Summary
• List of involved officers and witnesses
• Police communications recordings
• Computer-aided Dispatch Report
• BWC footage – Officer #2
• In-car camera footage – Officer #3
• Police History – the Complainant
• Suspicious Incident Report – past occurrence – the Complainant
• OPS policies – Mental Health Incidents; Criminal Investigations Framework
• Notes and Investigative Action (IA) Reports – Officer #2, Officer #1, WO #1, Officer #4, and WO #2

Materials Obtained from Other Sources

The SIU obtained the following records from other sources between May 21, 2026, and August 11, 2026:

• Video footage from the apartment building
• Cellphone video footage – CW #2, CW #3, CW #5 and Witness #4
• Toxicology Report from Centre of Forensic Sciences
• Postmortem Examination Report from Coroner’s Office
• Coroner’s Officer Report

The evidence collected by the SIU, including interviews with police and non-police eyewitnesses, and video footage that captured the incident in part, gives rise to the following scenario.

Shortly before 4:00 p.m., May 20, 2026, the Complainant climbed over the balcony railing of Apartment #2 located in a building in the area of Heatherington Road and Albion Road North. She was intoxicated by drugs and alcohol at the time. The Complainant began to yell, drawing the attention of other tenants. A resident of another apartment on the same floor – Witness #1 – entered onto his balcony and attempted to speak with the Complainant. The two appeared to know each other. The Complainant blamed him for her current predicament. He tried to convince her to return to the apartment. CW #5 made her way onto the balcony of Apartment #1. She pleaded with the Complainant not to jump and to return to safety. The Complainant was unreceptive. She alternately stood and squatted on the outside ledge of the balcony, holding onto the railing.

Responding to 911 calls about what was happening, WO #1 and WO #2 were the first officers on scene. They made their way to Apartment #2 and found it locked. No one answered their knocks. They subsequently made their way to Apartment #1 and attempted to communicate with the Complainant from the balcony. WO #2 took the lead. He told her that he was there to help. The Complainant reacted negatively and warned that she would jump if he continued to talk. A friend of the Complainant’s entered onto the balcony of Apartment #1 and also encouraged her to climb back over the railing. The Complainant continued to threaten to jump. At about 4:21 p.m., the Complainant squatted again for a period, after which she fell from the balcony.

First responders made their way quickly to the Complainant, administered care and transported her to hospital. She was pronounced deceased at 5:08 p.m.

Cause of Death

The pathologist at autopsy was of the view that the Complainant’s death was attributable to “multiple blunt impact trauma”.

Sections 219 and 220, Criminal Code - Criminal Negligence Causing Death

219 (1) Every one is criminally negligent who

(a) in doing anything, or

(b) in omitting to do anything that it is his duty to do,

shows wanton or reckless disregard for the lives or safety of other persons.

(2) For the purposes of this section, duty means a duty imposed by law.

220 Every person who by criminal negligence causes death to another person is guilty of an indictable offence and liable

(a) where a firearm is used in the commission of the offence, to imprisonment for life and to a minimum punishment of imprisonment for a term of four years; and

(b) in any other case, to imprisonment for life.

The Complainant passed away on May 20, 2026, the result of a fall from height. As OPS police officers were on scene attempting to prevent her fall when it occurred, the SIU was notified of the incident and initiated an investigation. The investigation is now concluded. On my assessment of the evidence, there are no reasonable grounds to believe that any OPS officer committed a criminal offence in connection with the Complainant’s death.

The offence that arises for consideration is criminal negligence causing death contrary to section 220 of the Criminal Code. The offence is reserved for serious cases of neglect that demonstrate a wanton or reckless disregard for the lives or safety of other persons. It is predicated, in part, on conduct that amounts to a marked and substantial departure from the level of care that a reasonable person would have exercised in the circumstances. In the instant case, the question is whether there was a want of care on the part of any OPS officer, sufficiently egregious to attract criminal sanction, that caused or contributed to the Complainant’s death. The evidence establishes that there was not.

WO #1 and WO #2 comported themselves with due care and regard for the Complainant’s wellbeing throughout their time on scene. Finding the door locked to Apartment #2, the officers entered into Apartment #1 and did what they could from that location to prevent harm coming to the Complainant. There was no question of any physical contact with the Complainant. There was a gap between the two balconies that prevented the officers approaching the Complainant, nor would any such effort have been advisable given the Complainant’s agitated state at the time. In calm and reassuring tones, WO #2 tried to build a rapport with the Complainant, but to no avail. When it appeared that further communication with the officer was only making matters worse, the officer stopped and merely remained on the balcony to maintain a presence in order to report what was happening to other officers. Friends of hers also met with no success in speaking to the Complainant, who seemed determined to end her life. On this record, it is apparent that neither officer transgressed the limits of care prescribed by the criminal law in their brief engagement with the Complainant before her fall.

For the foregoing reasons, there is no basis for proceeding with criminal charges in this case. The file is closed.

Date: September 14, 2026

Electronically approved by

Joseph Martino

Director

Special Investigations Unit