News Release
No Charges Against Chatham-Kent Officer After Man Struck by Less-Lethal Round in Chatham
Case Number: 21-OFP-220
Other News Releases Related to Case 21-OFP-220
The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, has found no reasonable grounds to believe that a Chatham-Kent Police Service officer committed a criminal offence in connection with discharging his less-lethal firearm at a 51-year-old man in the course of his arrest last July.
In the evening of July 14, 2021, officers responded to the man’s home following a 911 hang-up. The man, while carrying a crossbow, confronted officers when they arrived and told them to leave. Later, after refusing to surrender to police, the man exited his home with a machete and refused commands to stop coming proceeding towards officers. One officer discharged a less-lethal foam round at the man. At about the same time, two officers discharged their Conducted Energy Weapons. The man fell to the ground and was handcuffed. He was not seriously injured.
Director Martino concluded that the firearm discharge by the subject official was reasonably necessary force. Accordingly, 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