News Release
SIU Determines Use of ARWEN by OPP Officer to Arrest Man in White River was Reasonably Necessary
Case Number: 19-PFI-302
On December 10, 2019, Ontario Provincial Police officers attended an address in White River following complaints from a woman that a 33-year-old man had threatened to kill her and her daughter. While the officers maintained containment around the residence, the man refused to come out. The following morning, the man emerged from the residence and an interaction ensued. In the course of that interaction, the man was struck several times by rounds discharged by an officer’s Anti-Riot Weapon Enfield. He was taken to hospital where he was diagnosed with a fractured right arm. 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 incident.
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