Ontario’s police watchdog, the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), has terminated its investigation into the death of a 55-year-old man in Barrie.
According to the SIU, on Sept. 5, 2018, a Barrie police officer located a man in a parking lot in the Dunlop Street West and Toronto Street area, after receiving reports of a disturbance involving multiple parties.
The SIU says when police arrived, the man was arrested for being intoxicated in a public place and was transported to the Barrie Police Service.
At the station, the SIU says the man appeared to be in medical distress and was transported to hospital by emergency medical services.
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The SIU says just after 11 p.m., on Sept. 27, 2018, while still in hospital, the man was pronounced dead.
Police notified the SIU, which invoked its mandate to investigate deaths, serious injury or allegations of sexual assault involving police officers.
The SIU had been conducting an investigation into the incident, which has now been terminated.
The SIU says the cause of death was determined as bilateral pneumonia from prolonged hospitalization for complications of drug administration.
“The medical evidence establishes that the man died from medical complications arising from an overdose via the ingestion of pills that occurred prior to the arrival of police. The police interaction with the man had nothing to do with his death,” SIU director, Tony Loparco, said in a news release. “Accordingly, I have terminated the investigation into the incident.”
The Director of the Special Investigations Unit has terminated an investigation into the death of a 55-year-old man in Barrie in September of 2018. https://t.co/ECr5KGOTvd
— Special Investigations Unit (@SIUOntario) March 1, 2019
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