News Release
SIU Investigates Death in Sprucedale
Case Number: 06-PCD-046
Other News Releases Related to Case 06-PCD-046
On March 25, 2006, the York Regional Police Service (YRPS) began an investigation into an incident involving a shooting that occurred in East Gwillembury earlier that day. As a result of information gathered from the YRPS investigation, Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officers from the detachment in Burk's Falls were notified that the suspect in the shooting may be in the Sprucedale area.
At about 7:20 p.m. that evening, two OPP officers identified a car with matching plates to that of the suspect's car in the area of 4th Avenue and Stisted Road in Sprucedale. The car was stopped. An officer approached the car and found the driver suffering from gunshot injuries. The man, identified as Mark Davis, was taken to hospital in Huntsville and then transferred to Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto. He succumbed to his injuries at about 4:45 a.m. this morning.
The SIU's investigation into what role, if any, the police played in this incident is continuing. As part of the investigation, one subject and one witness officer from the OPP have been designated. Investigators will be attending the post mortem examination which is scheduled for tomorrow.
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