News Release
No Charges Against Ottawa Police Officers in Man’s Fall from Balcony
Case Number: 21-OCI-187
The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, has found no reasonable grounds to believe that Ottawa Police Service officers committed a criminal offence in connection with the serious injuries suffered by a 55-year-old man after he fell from a third-floor balcony.
In the evening of June 20, 2021, the Ottawa Police Service were called to an apartment on Cooper Street following calls about a disturbance. Later, officers learned that the man was purportedly holding a 12-year-old girl hostage in a third-floor unit. While the officers attempted to enter the unit, the man fell from the balcony and fractured his back and foot. He was arrested and taken to hospital.
Director Martino concluded that both officers involved conducted themselves with due care and regard for the man’s well-being, and were lawfully in the discharge of their duties in the course of the interaction. The file has been closed.
Full Director’s Report (with Incident Narrative, Evidence, and Analysis & Director’s Decision):
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