News Release
SIU Closes Investigation into Death of Man at Toronto Hospital
Case Number: 13-TCI-020
Mississauga (30 January, 2013) --- Based on the Special Investigations Unit’s (SIU) preliminary enquiries into the injuries sustained by a 42-year-old man at the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto last week, and his subsequent death, SIU Director Ian Scott has terminated the investigation. The incident, involving officers with the Toronto Police Service (TPS), occurred on January 24, 2013.
Four investigators and one forensic investigator from the SIU probed the circumstances surrounding this incident. The investigation determined that on January 23, the man was admitted to hospital under the authority of the Mental Health Act to have surgery to repair his self-inflicted wounds. When he awoke the next day, he panicked. He fled his room and tried to escape the ward but was unable to open the hallway door. After assaulting a nurse, the man fled into another patient’s room and blocked the door. As several medical and security staff were attempting to break into the room, the man broke a window in the fifth-storey room, and climbed through it. Hospital staff were able to gain access to the room in time to grab onto the man while he hung outside the window. Officers with TPS arrived and helped pull the man to safety. He was placed face down on the floor and injected with a sedative by medical staff. He was then turned face up and found to be not breathing. CPR was performed, and the man was revived and then placed in the Critical Care Unit in serious condition.
The man passed away yesterday in hospital.
Director Scott said, “The information collected indicates the medical staff and TPS officers were attempting to rescue the man, who had endangered himself during the incident. Since the information collected indicates that his injuries were caused prior to the arrival of the police and that the officers did not contribute to his injuries and subsequent unfortunate death, I am closing this investigation.”
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