News Release
Criminal Charges not Warranted in Relation to Woman’s Fall from Barrie Apartment Balcony
Case Number: 20-OCD-065
Other News Releases Related to Case 20-OCD-065
On March 25, 2020, two officers with the Barrie Police Service attended a 10th floor unit in an apartment building to check on the well-being of a 79-year-old woman. The officers knocked on the door, announced who they were and indicated they were there to make sure she was fine. There was no response. When one of the officers went to the main floor to get a key to the unit, he was informed that the woman was lying on the ground at the rear of the building. First aid was rendered, but the woman was pronounced dead at the scene. The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, has determined that there are no reasonable grounds to believe that either officer committed a criminal offence in connection with the woman’s falling death.
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