NEWS RELEASE
SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS UNIT
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MISSISSAUGA - On the night of Jan. 29, 2019, Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officers arrived at a residence in Clarksburg following information that a 57-year-old man was armed with a firearm and intending to possibly harm himself. Over the course of several hours, various efforts were made to contact the man from outside the home, but to no avail. When the Tactical Response Unit gained entry into the home’s garage, they found the man deceased. He had shot himself.
The Interim Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, has determined there are no reasonable grounds to lay criminal charges against an OPP officer in relation to the man’s death.
Full Director’s Report (with incident narrative, evidence, and analysis and director’s decision): https://www.siu.on.ca/en/directors_reports.php.
The SIU is an arm’s length agency that investigates reports involving police where there has been death, serious injury or allegations of sexual assault. Under the Police Services Act, the Director of the SIU must:
• consider whether an officer has committed a criminal offence in connection with the incident under investigation
• depending on the evidence, lay a criminal charge against the officer if appropriate or close the file without any charges being laid
• report the results of any investigations to the Attorney General.
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