News Release
SIU Concludes Investigation into 2015 Death of Arron Loon in Thunder Bay
Case Number: 22-OOD-019
Other News Releases Related to Case 22-OOD-019
SIU Investigating Death of Arron Loon in Thunder Bay in 2015
The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, found no reasonable grounds to believe a Thunder Bay Police Service officer committed a criminal offence in connection with the death of Mr. Arron Loon, 20, in Thunder Bay in 2015.
In the morning of March 25, 2015, Mr. Loon was found deceased in Junot Park. The night before, a friend of his had called police seeking their assistance. The friend had reported Mr. Loon was in the park, intoxicated, yelling and wearing a T-shirt and pants. No police officers arrived to check on Mr. Loon.
The subject of Mr. Loon’s death was taken up by the Office of the Independent Police Review Director (OIPRD) as part of a wider review of the manner in which the Thunder Bay Police Service had investigated the deaths of several persons of First Nations heritage. Following the OIPRD report – Broken Trust – issued in December 2018, the circumstances surrounding Mr. Loon’s death were referred to a team consisting of various specialists for reinvestigation. The Chief Coroner, a member of the team, contacted the SIU on January 18, 2022, expressing concerns that Mr. Loon’s death had not initially been reported to the SIU, and indicating that it appeared the matter fell within the SIU’s statutory mandate. The SIU initiated an investigation of Mr. Loon’s death following notification by the Chief Coroner.
In conclusion, Director Martino found Mr. Loon’s death could not be traced in the evidence with any confidence to any criminally negligent conduct on the part of the subject official, leaving no basis for proceeding with criminal charges in this case. The file has been closed.
Full Director’s Report (with Incident Narrative, Evidence, and Analysis & Director’s Decision): https://siu.on.ca/en/directors_report_details.php?drid
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