News Release
SIU Discontinues Hamilton Investigation as No Serious Injury Sustained
Case Number: 19-OCI-109
The Interim Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, has terminated an investigation into an interaction that occurred last month in Hamilton between Hamilton Police Service officers and a 38-year-old man.
In the early morning hours of May 12, 2019, the man called 911 complaining of a person forcefully knocking on the front window of his home. When officers arrived at the home, the man entered into a struggle with them. Later that day, the man went to hospital because of pain in the area of his right ribs and left hand/wrist.
Interim Director Martino said, “The medical records indicate the man did not suffer any fractures, or other serious injury. In the circumstances, as it is apparent based on the SIU’s preliminary inquiries that the man did not suffer a “serious injury” within the terms of the SIU’s mandate, the investigation is hereby discontinued and the file closed.”
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