News Release
No Charges in Kingston Case where Man Found to have Shot Himself
Case Number: 15-OCD-123
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Kingston Police officers will not face criminal charges related to the death of a 30-year-old Kingston man who died during the course of a murder investigation last June.
The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Tony Loparco, has determined that “there are no reasonable grounds to believe the two subject officers committed a criminal offence in their dealings with the man.”
The SIU had assigned six investigators and three forensic investigators to probe the circumstances of this incident. The two subject officers both consented to interviews with the SIU and also provided the Unit with copies of their duty notes. Six witness officers and seven civilian witnesses were interviewed by the SIU.
The investigation found the following:
- Just before 9:00 a.m. on June 18, 2015, Kingston Police officers discovered the body of woman inside a home. Officers identified and began searching for a suspect in relation to what was initially deemed a suspicious death.
- Civilian witnesses reported seeing the suspect in the area of Markers Acres Park (also known as Conacher Park), near Conacher Drive and Sutherland Drive.
- Around 2:30 p.m., officers received information the man had entered a brush area west of the park’s parking lot.
- Officers arrived and, after proceeding into the brush a short distance, they spotted the man about 20 metres farther into the brush. His body was partially obscured by the long grass and surrounding bushes.
- Officers attempted to engage the man.
- The man did not respond and a few seconds later produced a handgun and shot himself in the head.
- He was transported to Kingston General Hospital, and on June 24, 2015, he was declared neurologically brain dead. A post mortem determined the gunshot wound to the head was the preliminary cause of death.
Director Loparco said, “The man shot himself in the head within seconds of producing his firearm and aiming it at his temple. He was not responsive to police demands to either produce his hands or drop his gun. Candidly, there is nothing further that the subject officers could have done to prevent his death. His suicidal intentions were obviously resolute. As a result, no charges will issue.”
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