News Release
No Charges to Issue Against Officer in Relation to Markham Fatal Collision
Case Number: 19-OVD-314
Other News Releases Related to Case 19-OVD-314
On December 31, 2019, a York Regional Police officer was on patrol when she observed a vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed. The officer followed the vehicle with the intention of stopping it. When the officer lost sight of the vehicle, she turned off her lights and siren, slowed down and disengaged. In the area of Ninth Line and Elgin Mills Road East, the vehicle of interest collided with another vehicle, injuring a 68-year-old man from the second vehicle. CPR was administered, but the man succumbed to his injuries at the scene. The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, has determined there are no reasonable grounds to believe that the officer committed a criminal offence in connection with the collision and the man’s needless and tragic 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