News Release
No Basis for Criminal Charges in Cornwall Case
Case Number: 20-OCI-003
In the early morning hours of January 7, 2020, a 32-year-old man fled his home after having ingested a large quantity of medication. Concerned for his safety, an individual called 911 and paramedics and Cornwall Police Service officers were dispatched. An officer located the man in the area of a car wash on Brookdale Avenue. Shortly, the man pulled a knife out of his pocket, prompting the officer to draw his conducted energy weapon (CEW). The man then cut his throat with a knife causing serious injury. At about the same time, the officer discharged his CEW at the man, but the deployment had no effect. The officer provided care to the man until paramedics arrived and transported him to hospital. The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, has determined there is no basis for criminal charges in this case, and the file is closed.
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