News Release
SIU Discontinues Investigation into Man’s Fall from Building Rooftop in Pembroke
Case Number: 19-PCI-266
The Interim Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, has terminated an investigation into the falling injuries sustained by a 25-year-old man last month in Pembroke.
At approximate 10:15 p.m. on November 11, 2019, the man contacted the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) in Pembroke to indicate that he was on a roof and planning to commit suicide by jumping. OPP officers eventually located the man on the 2nd story roof of a business located in the area of River Road and Deacon Street. They implored him to come down safely, made arrangements to have a firetruck attend the scene to assist officers in reaching the top of the building and staged paramedics in the area in case their services were needed. After a period, the man decided he did not want to jump, and as such, made his way to an area from which he could descend a story onto the first-floor roof. As the man jumped, he lost his footing on the snow-covered tin roof of the first-story, slid down the roof and landed on the ground below. The impact with the ground resulted in several fractures of his spine.
Interim Director Martino said, “As it is apparent at this time that the officers who were present when the man fell and injured himself did nothing to cause or contribute to his injuries in any fashion that could conceivably attract criminal liability, the SIU 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