News Release
Man’s Injury a Result of Jumping from Roof; SIU Discontinues Timmins Investigation
Case Number: 21-OCI-141
The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, has terminated an investigation into the serious injury sustained earlier this month by a 20-year-old man in Timmins.
In the evening of May 4, 2021, the man was on the second floor of a residence on when Timmins Police Service officers entered seeking to execute a drug warrant. Not wishing to be apprehended, the man climbed through a window onto the second storey roof and then jumped to the ground below. He ran for a brief period after the jump, but soon collapsed and was arrested by police officers. His subsequent examination at hospital would show that he had suffered fractures of both heels.
Director Martino said, “Based on the SIU’s preliminary inquiries, I am satisfied at this time that there is patently nothing to investigate as far as the potential criminal liability of any officer is concerned in connection with the man’s injuries. As it is evident that the man jumped of his own volition, and that no police officer was present on the roof or had otherwise interacted with him before his leap, I am left to conclude that the man is alone responsible for his injuries. Accordingly, the investigation is hereby discontinued and 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