News Release
SIU Terminates Barrie Death Investigation
Case Number: 18-OCD-289
Other News Releases Related to Case 18-OCD-289
The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Tony Loparco, has terminated an investigation into the death of a 55-year-old man in Barrie in September of 2018.
Around noon on September 5, 2018, a Barrie Police Service (BPS) officer was dispatched to a parking lot in the area of Dunlop Street West and Toronto Street regarding a disturbance involving multiple parties. Upon arrival, the officer located a man who appeared to be extremely intoxicated. The man was arrested for being intoxicated in a public place and transported to the BPS station. At the police station, the man appeared to be in medical distress and as such, he was transported to hospital by EMS. On the night of September 27, 2018 – while still in hospital – the man was pronounced dead. The cause of death was determined as “bilateral pneumonia from prolonged hospitalization for complications of drug administration.”
Director Loparco said, “The medical evidence establishes that the man died from medical complications arising from an overdose via the ingestion of pills that occurred prior to the arrival of police. The police interaction with the man had nothing to do with his 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