NEWS RELEASE
OPP ASSOCIATION
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Today, all charges were withdrawn against our members, OPP Provincial Constables Nathan Vanderheyden, Kenneth Pengelly and Grayson Cappus in relation to a police-involved shooting in Lindsay on Nov. 26, 2020.
On that day a family suffered the death of their child. The lives of the family, our police officers, and civilian members have been forever impacted. One of our members sustained very serious life-altering injuries during the response to that tragic incident. When an incident such as this occurs, it affects the families, the community, and our entire policing family.
“The circumstances of this incident involving the death of an innocent child are tragic for all involved," said OPP Association President John Cerasuolo.
"We offer our sympathies to the child’s family. It is our duty to serve and protect and we take that duty very seriously. Unfortunately, as police officers protect public safety in highly volatile and fast-moving dangerous situations, unexpected outcomes may result," said Cerasuolo.
"It is a correct and just decision made today that the charges against our members have been withdrawn. We have stated from the outset that our members acted courageously and professionally during an extremely dangerous situation," he added.
"We were confident that as the case proceeded through justice system that the evidence would vindicate the officers. It is important for the public to understand that if police are charged with an offence, they have the presumption of innocence, and in this case it has been determined that on the totality of the evidence there was no reasonable prospect of conviction. Our officers were doing their job according to their training," concluded Cerasuolo.
We encourage anyone impacted by this situation to reach out and lean on those closest to them as well as seek professional mental health assistance. We also encourage you to reach in to those you know are impacted by this tragedy.
The Canadian Mental Health Association Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge offers mental health supports to residents of Kawartha Lakes, Haliburton, Peterborough and County, and Northumberland. To learn more about the programs and services they offer, visit cmhahkpr.ca or call 705-328-2704.
The Ontario Provincial Police Association’s (OPPA) Encompas Mental Health Wellness Program is available to our members and their families by calling 24/7: 1-866-794-9117 or by visiting encompascare.ca.
Confidential support services are available to all OPP members, families, retirees, and auxiliaries through the OPP’s Healthy Workplace Team (HWT) available by phone, toll-free at 1-844-OPP-9409 (1-844-677-9409), or by directly contacting any HWT member.
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