News Release
SIU Concludes Investigation into Stabbing at a Scarborough Hospital
Case Number: 08-TCI-059
Other News Releases Related to Case 08-TCI-059
The on-duty, uniformed officer was at the hospital on an unrelated investigation when she responded to a call about an extremely distraught 19-year-old man, who had run from the emergency department, through a common reception area and into the nurses' lounge. There, he picked up a kitchen knife, cut both sides of his neck and began to stab himself in the chest and abdomen.
"The officer assessed her use-of-force options and decided that her service pistol was not appropriate to the threat, and using her baton at this stage would have put her in too close proximity to the young man," noted SIU Director James Cornish. "The officer ordered him several times to drop the knife without success before discharging pepper spray into his face. He fell to the floor allowing the officer and security personnel to subdue him."
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Mr. Cornish concluded: "The officer discharged her pepper spray and then used her baton in order to prevent the young man from further harming himself and perhaps others. The serious injuries were self-inflicted and not caused by any of the officer's actions. In my view, the officer's use of force under the circumstances was reasonable, and her actions likely saved this young man's life."
The SIU assigned four field investigators and two forensic investigators to this case.
If you or someone you know has been negatively affected by an incident under SIU investigation and would like support, the Affected Persons Program is here to help. You can reach us at 1-877-641-1897. Support is free, confidential, and available 24/7, every day of the year.
The SIU is an independent government agency that investigates the conduct of officials (municipal, regional and provincial police officers, police officers with the Nishnawbe Aski Police Service, 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