News Release

News Release

SIU Concludes Investigation into the Death of Courtney Kalyn of Windsor

Case Number: 08-OCD-068   

TORONTO (23 May, 2008) --- The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) has determined that there are no reasonable grounds to believe officers of the Windsor Police Service committed any criminal offence in connection with the death of Courtney Faye Kalyn. The 21-year-old woman fell from the balcony of her sixth-floor apartment on Friday April 25, 2008. Police officers had gone to the apartment in an attempt to interview her as part of their investigation into an earlier robbery.

The Director of the SIU, James Cornish, has concluded that the two officers involved "conducted themselves appropriately and could not have prevented this event." The SIU investigation found that Ms. Kalyn had been attempting to flee when officers knocked at the door of her apartment on Lauzon Road to question her in connection with a robbery at a nearby convenience store. The officers established verbal contact with Ms. Kalyn, but she ignored their repeated requests to open the door. It was during this time that Ms. Kalyn appears to have attempted to climb down from her balcony to the one below. Officers were still in the hallway attempting to convince Ms. Kalyn to allow them in when they were notified that she had been found unconscious outside the apartment building below her balcony. She was taken to Hotel Dieu Grace but died of head injuries on Sunday April 27, 2008.

Based on the results of this investigation, including the forensic results from the post-mortem examination, Mr. Cornish determined that "Ms. Kalyn slipped and fell to her death while attempting to climb to the balcony below. In my view, it is clear that no officer caused this woman's tragic death. "

The SIU assigned four investigators and three forensic investigators to determine the events leading to Ms. Kalyn's death.

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

SIU Communications/Service des communications, UES