News Release

SIU Seeking Witnesses to Interaction that Occurred in St. Catharines Walmart Parking Lot

Case Number: 19-OCI-272   

Mississauga, ON (19 November, 2019) ---
The province’s Special Investigations Unit is investigating the circumstances surrounding the serious injury sustained by a 35-year-old man on Sunday in St. Catharines.

Preliminary information suggests the following:
  • At approximately 12:50 p.m. on Sunday, November 17, 2019, Niagara Regional Police Service officers attended the Walmart located at 420 Vansickle Road for an unwanted person.
  • The officers located the person of interest, a 35-year-old man, in the parking lot. There was an interaction in the area of a U-Haul box van, and the man was arrested.
  • He was taken to hospital for treatment of a serious injury.

At this time, two investigators and one forensic investigator have been assigned to the case. One subject officer and one witness officer have been designated.

The SIU is urging anyone who may have information about this investigation to contact the lead investigator at 1-800-787-8529. The Unit is also urging anyone who may have any video evidence related to this incident to upload that video through the SIU website.

If you or someone you know is an affected person in need of support, please call the Affected Persons Program General Referral Line at 1-877-641-1897 or click here for more information: siu.on.ca/en/apc.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

Lisez ce communiqué en français.