News Release

News Release

SIU Concludes Pembroke Death Investigation

Case Number: 12-OCD-205   

Mississauga (4 September, 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 Pembroke Police Service (PPS) with any criminal offence in relation to the death of a 58-year-old man in July of 2012.

The SIU assigned three investigators and three forensic investigators to probe the circumstances of this incident.  As part of the investigation, two witness officers and two civilian witnesses were interviewed.  The subject officer provided an interview and a copy of his duty notes to the SIU. 

The SIU investigation found that the following events took place on Tuesday, July 17:
• In the morning hours of July 17th, the subject officer was dispatched to assist paramedics at a McKenzie Street address to deal with an individual who had shot himself and was walking around with a long gun. 
• The subject officer arrived at the scene and walked around the apartment building with two other officers.  The subject officer had his handgun drawn.  The officers walked a short distance when the man came out of an apartment unit with a rifle in his hands.  He was bleeding from a wound in his head. They commanded him to drop the weapon.  Instead of doing so, the man walked to a wooden stool on the lawn, sat down, placed the barrel of the rifle under his chin and pulled the trigger. 
• Paramedics attempted to revive him but he died at the scene. 

The post-mortem examination concluded that two bullets had entered the man’s head; one entered above his left eye and exited the top of his head.  The second entered his chin and exited over his left eye.  The man left a note and a voice mail message that made it clear he intended to commit suicide.  Two cartridge cases were found outside.

Director Scott said, “In my view, the most reasonable inference to draw from this investigation is that the man attempted to commit suicide by shooting himself in the head outside of the apartment in which he resided.  This first shot did not incapacitate him and he remained ambulatory.  He went to the door of a neighboring apartment unit to obtain the occupant’s attention, but was unsuccessful.  The man wandered around outside the two units, returned to his apartment and exited as the officers arrived on the scene.  He then shot himself again.  This time he attained his objective.  On this analysis, there is no suggestion that the subject officer was in any way responsible for the man’s unfortunate 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