News Release
SIU Terminates London Death Investigation
Case Number: 18-OOD-248
Other News Releases Related to Case 18-OOD-248
The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Tony Loparco, has terminated the investigation into the death last month of a 21-year-old man in London.
At approximately 7:40 p.m. on August 22, 2018, a woman called 911 to report that her boyfriend was in medical distress at their home in the Huron Street and Adelaide Street North area. A London Police Service officer was the first to arrive, with other police officers, Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and Fire arriving within minutes. The girlfriend informed the first officer on scene that she had given the man two doses of naloxone. With consent of EMS, the officer then administered another dose to the man. The emergency responders continued to work on the man and managed to regain a pulse. The man was transported to hospital and put in the intensive care unit.
At 11:43 a.m. on August 25, 2018, the man was declared brain dead. A post-mortem was conducted three days later.
Director Loparco said, “The officer’s actions did not contribute to the man’s death in any way. 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