News Release
SIU Investigating Incident in Ottawa
Case Number: 20-OFI-061
Other News Releases Related to Case 20-OFI-061
The province’s Special Investigations Unit is investigating the circumstances surrounding the serious injuries sustained by a 42-year-old man in Ottawa, last night.
Preliminary information suggests the following:
- At approximately 8:45 p.m. on March 15, 2020, Ottawa Police Service (OPS) officers were dispatched to an address on St. Laurent Boulevard for a disturbance call.
- Officers arrived and outside of the residence they located a 42-year-old man in possession of a knife.
- The man went back into a residence and officers followed and attempted to communicate with the man.
- At some point officers fired plastic projectiles from an Anti Riot Weapon ENfield (ARWEN) at the man.
- Paramedics attended the residence and transported the man to hospital for treatment of a serious injury.
Two investigators and one forensic investigator have been assigned to this incident.
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