Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit says a Guelph police officer is not to blame in the death of man who collapsed while an officer was investigating a reported break-in last month.
Police were called to a house in the area of Speedvale Avenue and Victoria Avenue on the morning of Dec. 13 after the homeowner noticed footprints on his property.
While an officer was speaking to the man in the driveway, the 72-year-old collapsed.
The SIU said paramedics took the man to a hospital where he was treated for a cardiac arrest, but was pronounced dead later that afternoon.
“The evidence indicates that the man’s death resulted from a cardiac event in the presence of an officer conducting an investigation on the man’s behalf and had nothing to do with the officer’s conduct,” said SIU Director Tony Loparco.
Family identified the man as Clyde Abbott.
The SIU is an arm’s length agency that is mandated to investigate reports involving police where there has been death, serious injury or allegations of sexual assault.
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