News Release

News Release

SIU Concludes Falling Death Investigation in Toronto

Case Number: 12-TCD-005   

Mississauga (17 February, 2012) --- The Director of the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), Ian Scott, has concluded that there are no reasonable grounds to charge an officer with the Toronto Police Service (TPS) with any criminal offence in regards to the death of 21-year-old Dale Anthony Chatrie in January of 2012.

The SIU assigned six investigators and three forensic investigators to probe the circumstances of this incident.  The subject officer provided an interview to the SIU and supplied a copy of his duty notes.  Eleven witness officers and seven civilian witnesses were interviewed. 

The SIU investigation found that the following events took place on Friday, January 6:
• In the morning of that day, TPS Communications Centre received a 911 call from a woman saying that someone had pulled a gun on her in an apartment unit at 285 Shuter Street.  A number of officers from 51 Division, including the subject officer, responded to the call. 
• After knocking on the door of the fifteenth floor unit and hearing a voice inside the apartment, the officers decided to breach it. The subject officer kicked in the door and approximately six officers entered the apartment.  There, they found a number of occupants inside the small one bedroom apartment. 
• Unbeknownst to the officers, Mr. Chatrie, one of the occupants, went to the balcony and either jumped or fell. He died from the injuries he received at the point of impact. 
• No gun was found in the apartment.

Director Scott said, “I am of the view that the involved officers had the lawful authority to enter the apartment in question without a warrant under the exigent circumstances section of the Criminal Code; they were responding to a gun call directing them to a specific residence at which an occupant would not open the door and they had a reasonable concern for the safety of those in the apartment.  There is no suggestion that anyone was on the balcony with Mr. Chatrie at the time he either jumped or fell. As a result, no involved officer can be held criminally responsible for Mr. Chatrie’s demise.”

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