News Release
SIU Closes Investigation into Woman’s Fall from Roof of Home in Hamilton
Case Number: 21-OCI-394
The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, has terminated an investigation into the broken elbow suffered by a 20-year-old woman after she fell from the roof of a home in Hamilton last month.
On November 17, 2021, the distressed woman climbed onto the roof of an assisted living group home in the area of King Street and Queen Street South, with the intention of jumping. Hamilton Police Service was called and several officers responded. One officer spoke to the woman, attempting to safely talk her down from the roof. The woman eventually jumped, falling about five metres to the ground below.
Director Martino concluded that on this record, it was plain and obvious that the woman jumped of her own volition, and there was patently nothing to investigate of potential criminal liability of any officer involved in the matter. The file has been 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
Lisez ce communiqué en français.
Kristy Denette, siu.media@ontario.ca
SIU Communications/Service des communications, UES