News Release
No Charges for Peel Regional Police in Woman’s Death
Case Number: 20-OCD-268
Other News Releases Related to Case 20-OCD-268
The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, has found no reasonable grounds to believe that Peel Regional Police officers committed a criminal offence in connection with the death of a 29-year-old woman in April 2020.
On April 18, 2020, officers attended the woman’s parents’ residence in Brampton as they had concerns about their daughter’s well-being. Paramedics and officers attended, including one officer specifically trained in dealing with mental health-related calls. A mental health professional was also called to attend via video conference. The woman died of a self-inflicted stab wound shortly after the officers and responders left the residence.
While Director Martino said the woman’s death was a terrible tragedy, he found insufficient evidence to reasonably conclude that her wound and resulting death were attributable in any way to criminal conduct on the part of the responding police officers.
Full Director’s Report (with Incident Narrative, Evidence, and Analysis & Director’s Decision): https://www.siu.on.ca/en/directors_report_details.php?drid=1509
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
Lisez ce communiqué en français.
Kristy Denette, siu.media@ontario.ca
SIU Communications/Service des communications, UES