NEWS RELEASE
SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS UNIT
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On Jan. 13, 2021, paramedics were dispatched to a residence in Fort Erie as a 61-year-old man who resided in the home was experiencing pain and lightheadedness.
The man was placed in the ambulance, but due to his extreme agitation, the ambulance pulled over to request the assistance of police. Upon arrival, a Niagara Regional Police Service officer decided to apprehend the man under the Mental Health Act.
He and the another officer affixed handcuffs to both of the man’s arms, securing them to the stretcher. En route to the hospital, the man’s condition deteriorated. Once they reached the hospital, the man was quickly placed in the care of the hospital’s emergency department. He passed away in hospital later that day.
The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, has determined there are no reasonable grounds to believe that an officer committed a criminal offence in connection with the man’s death.
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