News Release
No Basis to Charge Police Officer in Relation to Death of Man in Dalrymple
Case Number: 18-PCD-263
Other News Releases Related to Case 18-PCD-263
On September 2, 2018, Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officers responded to a 911 call reporting that a man had tried to hang himself. The OPP used a police dog to track him into an area with dense brush near Lake Dalrymple where he was found hanging from a tree. The police officers cut him down and tried to revive him, but the Complainant was later pronounced dead. The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Tony Loparco, has determined there are no reasonable grounds to lay criminal charges against any police officer in relation to the man’s death.
Full Director’s Report (with Incident Narrative, Evidence, and Analysis & Director’s Decision):https://www.siu.on.ca/en/directors_reports.php.
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