NEWS RELEASE
SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS UNIT
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On Dec. 4, 2020, the Niagara Regional Police Service received an assist ambulance call. The caller reported they thought they could see someone hanging from a tree. Police officers responded and located the 32-year-old male hanging from a cable attached to a tree on the south side of Gales Crescent near Frank Street.
As the male had had several interactions with NRPS officers on the day of his death, the SIU was notified of the incident and commenced an investigation. The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, has determined there are no reasonable grounds to believe that the subject official committed a criminal offence in connection with the person’s death.
Full Director’s Report (with incident narrative, evidence, and analysis and director’s decision) can be read here.
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
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