News Release
No Charges Against Chatham-Kent Police Officers in Man’s Death
Case Number: 21-OCD-306
Other News Releases Related to Case 21-OCD-306
The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, has found no reasonable grounds to believe that two Chatham-Kent Police Service officers committed a criminal offence in connection with the death of a 53-year-old man last September.
On September 8, 2021, officers arrested the man in a store for trespassing. The man resisted arrest and kicked at officers. One of the officers struck the man with an elbow while he was being handcuffed. The man was examined by paramedics at the scene, and then taken to the police station. The man was sent to hospital from the station, where he died on September 15, 2021.
Director Martino found that the evidence did not establish that the officers’ conduct was responsible for the man’s death.
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