The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, found no reasonable grounds to believe an Ontario Provincial Police officer committed a criminal offence in connection with the death of a 45-year-old man last November.
The SIU was notified of the death and the possibility it may have been connected to a police dog bite during an arrest in October 2023.
On October 13, 2023, officers attempted to arrest the man after he brandished an apparent firearm at another male. A police service dog was deployed ahead of a police entry into the apartment. The dog bit and held the man, allowing him to be taken into custody by officers.
Director Martino noted that police gave the man ample opportunity to surrender peacefully and only sent in the dog when attempted negotiations over more than five hours proved futile. Director Martino said it remained unclear whether and to what extent the police dog bite, and the resulting infection that set in, were causally related to the man’s death on November 5, 2023. While the cause of death is not yet known, he was satisfied that the dog’s deployment constituted reasonably necessary force.
Full Director’s Report (with Incident Narrative, Evidence, and Analysis & Director’s Decision):
