News Release
No Officer Contributed to Man’s Death in Windsor; SIU Discontinues Investigation
Case Number: 21-OCD-117
Other News Releases Related to Case 21-OCD-117
The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, has terminated an investigation into the death of a 26-year-old man last month in Windsor.
On April 12, 2021, first responders responded to a residence on Hall Avenue in Windsor after a woman reported that her boyfriend was in medical distress, and had apparently consumed a quantity of gasoline and medication. A Windsor Police Service officer – the first to arrive at the scene – started to perform CPR. Shortly thereafter, the officer was relieved by attending firefighters. Paramedics soon arrived and took carriage of the man’s care. He was taken to hospital, where he was pronounced deceased.
Director Martino said, “Based on the SIU’s preliminary inquiries, there is patently nothing to investigate as far as the potential criminal liability of any police officer is concerned in connection with the man’s death. On this record, it is plain and obvious that no officer contributed to the man’s death in any manner that could conceivably attract criminal liability. Accordingly, the file is closed.”
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