News Release
SIU Investigation: No Charges in Case of Self-inflicted Fatal Gunshot Wound
Case Number: 15-TCD-116
Other News Releases Related to Case 15-TCD-116
The Director of the Special Investigations Unit has concluded there are no grounds to charge any police officer in an incident where a man died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The SIU assigned three investigators and two forensic investigators to probe the circumstances of this incident.
The subject officer in this investigation declined to participate in an SIU interview and did not provide a copy of his duty notes, as is his legal right.
The investigation found the following:
- Close to 5:15 a.m. on June 10, 2015, Toronto Police officers attended a residence on Balloil Street. They were responding to a call about a man threatening to harm himself.
- Officers listened at the door and heard what sounded like two men speaking.
- Officers knocked and noted they were police.
- One to two seconds later a gunshot was heard.
- Officers entered the residence and found a deceased 50-year-old man.
Director Loparco noted, “The officers were acting pursuant to their common law duty to protect and preserve life when they responded to a 911 call. The man was on the precipice of suicide when police arrived. All the officer did was, rationally, pause outside the apartment to assess the situation and then announce the police presence. The man killed himself almost immediately.
“There was no opportunity in the intervening few seconds for the subject officer to perform any action, let alone one for which the law could assign blame for the man’s death. As a result, there is no basis with proceeding with criminal charges in this case.”
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