News Release
SIU Concludes Investigation into Toronto Death
Case Number: 10-TCD-238
Other News Releases Related to Case 10-TCD-238
The SIU assigned four investigators and two forensic investigators to probe the circumstances of this incident. The SIU designated one officer as a subject officer and four officers as witness officers. Five civilian witnesses were interviewed.
The SIU investigation determined that at 6:17 p.m. November 9, 2010 two TPS officers went to an apartment on Kipling Avenue to arrest a man in connection with a bail violation. The man, 39-year-old Munir Isho, was not in the apartment. The officers located him on a neighbouring apartment’s balcony. The officers attempted to gain access to that apartment with the intention of arresting Mr. Isho. At some point Mr. Isho fell to the ground and sustained fatal injuries.
Director Scott said, “In my view, there are no reasonable grounds to believe that the subject officer committed a criminal offence in relation to the death of Mr. Isho. Mr. Isho fell five storeys to his death when he lost his footing while attempting to elude the police by climbing from one apartment balcony on the fifth floor to another apartment balcony on the fifth floor. Accordingly, the subject officer could not be held criminally liable for Mr. Isho’s death.”
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