News Release

News Release

SIU Concludes Investigation in Toronto Falling Death

Case Number: 14-TCD-004   

Mississauga (14 March, 2014) --- The Director of the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), Tony Loparco, has concluded that there are no reasonable grounds to charge a Toronto Police Service (TPS) officer with any criminal offence in relation to the death of a 22-year-old woman in January of this year.

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

The SIU investigation found that the following events took place on Wednesday, January 8, 2014:
• At approximately 1:06 pm, the woman phoned 911 and indicated that she intended to commit suicide. 
• TPS officers along with Emergency Medical Services (EMS) were dispatched to a unit on the 25th floor of an apartment building at 330 Dixon Road.
• As the officers approached the apartment unit’s door, they found it unlocked and semi-open. 
• Upon entering the unit, the officers saw a female standing on the outside of the balcony railing.
• As the subject officer approached the woman, he indicated that she said “thank you for coming, I needed a witness” and then “goodbye” as she jumped off of the edge of the balcony.
• The subject officer’s account is corroborated by two witness officers who heard the subject officer talking with the woman and then saw her fall back from the balcony as he approached. As well, two EMS attendants who were positioned near the unit’s doorway provided information in their report that they saw the woman standing on the outside of the balcony railing when they arrived at the scene. 
• During the investigation SIU investigators discovered a suicide statement left by the woman in her apartment on the day of the incident. The statement indicated the woman’s ultimate intention and served as a form of will.

Director Loparco said, “In my view there are no grounds to believe that the subject officer committed a criminal offence in relation to the woman’s death.  There can be no doubt that the woman’s death was a premeditated act on her part. The question thus is did the subject officer or anyone else from the TPS contribute to her death in a criminal manner by their actions or by failing to act in a timely fashion to save her. As indicated by the SIU’s investigation the answer is no in relation to the subject officer. There is nothing in the circumstances that he could have done to prevent her jumping and I have concluded there is no criminal liability, by acts or ommissions, in relation to any other officer from the Toronto police service.”

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