News Release
Teenager’s Injury was Self-inflicted; SIU Discontinues Woodstock Investigation
Case Number: 19-OCI-216
The Interim Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, has terminated an investigation into a September 2019 interaction between a 17-year-old male and police officers in Woodstock.
In the early afternoon hours of September 8, 2019, a 17-year-old male in distress left a home in Woodstock and headed in the direction of the Finkle Street pedestrian bridge. A family member began to follow the teenager and called Woodstock Police Service. Arriving within minutes of the call, two officers convinced the teenager to make his way in their direction and thereafter engaged him in conversation for a few minutes. Suddenly, he turned, ran toward the bridge railing and jumped, landing in a ravine below. The teenager was transported to hospital where he was diagnosed with a fractured right ankle.
Interim Director Martino said, “It is apparent based on the aforementioned record, established by the SIU’s preliminary inquiries, that neither officer caused or contributed to the man’s self-inflicted injury in any manner that could attract criminal liability. Consequently, 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