The province's Special Investigations Unit (SIU) has terminated its investigation into a man’s death in Oro-Medonte Township last month after it was ruled a suicide.
At around 9:30 p.m., April 6, officers from the Barrie OPP detachment went to the 59-year-old man’s residence to perform a compliance check.
At the front door, the officers spoke with the man and a family member. The man was given the option to go with the police officers at that time, or turn himself in the following day, according to the SIU.
“The man chose the latter option and the officers left,” the SIU said in a news release. “The following morning, a family member went into the basement and found that the man had hanged himself from the ceiling.”
SIU director Tony Loparco said he found no fault on the officers’ behalf.
“The evidence makes clear that the conduct of the two officers in exercising their discretion to allow the man to attend the OPP detachment the next day rather than arresting him at the time of their contact with him, at his residence, can in no way, in these circumstances, make them legally responsible for the man taking his own life,” Loparco said.
“Accordingly, I have terminated the investigation into this incident," he added.
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.
