The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, has found no reasonable grounds to believe an Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officer committed a criminal offence in connection with the death of a 31-year-old man in South River. On January 19, 2023, the man died after falling from an overpass at Highway 11. The SIU investigated as an OPP officer was on scene at the time. The officer attempted to communicate with the man, called for an ambulance to stage nearby and immediately rendered CPR after the fall.
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