NEWS RELEASE
NIAGARA REGIONAL POLICE SERVICE
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UPDATE Feb. 4
On Feb. 4, 2023, the second male suspect surrendered to police.
The 16-year-old male of the City of St. Catharines was arrested and is now facing first-degree murder.
He is currently held in custody pending a bail hearing that is scheduled for Feb. 5, 2023, via video link to the John Sopinka Courthouse, located at 45 Main St. E., in Hamilton.
As a result of determining the identity of the suspects and their age, their photos have been removed from the original media release. The Youth Criminal Justice Act of Canada prohibits the NRPS from identifying persons under 18 years of age.
UPDATE Feb. 3
A 16-year-old male was arrested Friday and charged with first-degree murder in connection with the death of 31-year-old St. Catharines man Raymond “Ray” Riley.
The suspect is currently being held in custody pending a bail hearing that is scheduled to take place on Feb. 4, via video link to the John Sopinka Courthouse, located at 45 Main Street East, in Hamilton.
Niagara Regional Police detectives have identified and are actively searching for a second suspect, who is also under the age of 18. The Youth Criminal Justice Act of Canada prohibits the identification of persons under.
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Detectives from the 1 District – St. Catharines office of the Niagara Regional Police Service are investigating the circumstances surrounding injuries to a 31-year-old St. Catharines man, Raymond “Ray” Riley. He died Sept. 8, 2022.
On Aug. 27, 2022, at approximately 1:30 a.m, 1 District uniform officers attended an assist ambulance call in the area of Queenston Street and Riordon Street for a man in medical distress. Ray was transported to a local hospital by Niagara Emergency Medical Services paramedics.
On Sept. 1, 2022, NRPS officers were contacted by Riley's family member who reported he had been hospitalized and had injuries that were suspicious. At the time of this release, Riley remains in hospital in critical condition.
Riley is described as:
- White male
- 6’0” feet tall. Approximately 160 lbs.
- Brown, medium-length wavy hair
- Dark coloured facial hair
- Hazel eyes
- Tattoos on his left hand.
When transported to the hospital, Riley was wearing the following:
- Black canvas, casual shoes with white outsole
- Black Champion socks with pink lettering
- Black Ecko Unltd. sweatpants
- Black Nike shorts with grey stripe down either side
- Black baseball hat with large Marvel Avengers design
Detectives are appealing to the public for information to assist in determining the cause of the injuries and trace Riley’s movements in the hours leading to him being found injured. Detectives have reason to believe that Riley may have been walking along Queenston Street with an unknown woman prior to the assist ambulance call.
Members of the public who may recall seeing Riley on the night of the incident or may have information about this incident are asked to contact 1 District detectives by calling 905-688-4111, option 3, ext. 1009964.
Members of the public who wish to provide information anonymously can contact Crime Stoppers of Niagara online or by calling 1-800-222-8477. Crime Stoppers offers cash rewards to persons who contact the program with information which leads to an arrest.
Click here for Crime Stoppers online.
Anyone (residents or businesses) in the area with closed circuit security cameras, doorbell video cameras, or dash cameras is asked to review their footage for suspicious activity for the period between 12:30 a.m. and 1:30 a.m. on Aug. 27, 2022.
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