News Release
No Charges to Issue in Relation to Man’s Fatal Fall from Apartment Balcony in North York
Case Number: 19-TCD-098
Other News Releases Related to Case 19-TCD-098
On the morning of May 4, 2019, an individual called police to report that a 29-year-old man was threatening to jump from an apartment balcony located on Chalkfarm Drive. Two Toronto Police Service officers made their way to the building. These same two officers were at the apartment a month prior when the man attempted to take his life. That time, the officers managed to the grab the man and take him to hospital. On this occasion, the officers found the man standing on the balcony railing with his hands grabbing the lower railing of the balcony above. From the balcony door threshold, one of the officers attempted to convince the man to step down safely onto the balcony, told him he was there to help and pleaded with him not to jump. Despite this, the man jumped from the balcony railing to the ground below. He was taken to hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. The Interim Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, has determined there are no reasonable grounds to lay criminal charges in this case.
Full Director’s Report (with Incident Narrative, Evidence, and Analysis & Director’s Decision):https://www.siu.on.ca/en/directors_reports.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