News Release
SIU Terminates Investigation into Death of Man in St. Catharines
Case Number: 18-OCD-019
Other News Releases Related to Case 18-OCD-019
The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Tony Loparco, has terminated an investigation into the death of a 27-year-old man in St. Catharines in January of 2018.
In the morning hours of January 26, 2018, Niagara Regional Police Service officers attended a pharmacy at 120 Welland Avenue in St. Catharines in response to a robbery. Upon arrival, officers saw an employee attempting to subdue the man as he was trying to consume methadone. Officers took over, and were able to handcuff him. Paramedics transported the man to hospital where he was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit. He was induced into a coma and treated for a drug overdose. The man passed away the following day.
Director Loparco said, “The evidence is clear that the police conduct did not have anything to do with the man’s death. The post-mortem examination indicated the man’s cause of death was methadone toxicity and revealed no anatomical cause of death. Accordingly, I have terminated the investigation into this incident.”
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