News Release
SIU Investigates Shooting Death in Richmond Hill
Case Number: 12-OCD-033
Other News Releases Related to Case 12-OCD-033
Mississauga (30 January, 2012) --- Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU) is continuing to probe the circumstances surrounding the shooting death of 44-year-old Paul Black, of Markham, this weekend.
The York Regional Police Service (YRPS) contacted the SIU and reported the following:
• At approximately 6:30 a.m. on Saturday, January 28, 2012, YRPS received a 911 call from a male using a cell phone. The phone was disconnected, and the call was traced to the Markville Mall. Officers were dispatched.
• The man called again, but again the phone was disconnected. The call was traced to a park on Palmer Avenue and Lennox Avenue, and officers were dispatched to the park.
• There was an interaction between police and Mr. Black, and a short time later, Mr. Black sustained a gunshot wound to the head. He was taken to Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre where he was pronounced deceased at 8:20 a.m.
• A postmortem will take place this morning.
The SIU has assigned four investigators and two forensic investigators to probe the circumstances of this incident.
Anyone with information or who may have witnessed this incident is asked to contact the lead investigator at 416-622-1806 or 1-800-787-8529 extension 1806.
If you or someone you know is an affected person in need of support, please call the Affected Persons Program General Referral Line at 1-877-641-1897 or click here for more information: siu.on.ca/en/apc.php
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