The family of a 14-year-old Langley boy who died of a suspected drug overdose isn’t blaming police for being unable to find the teen before his death.
Instead, Carson Crimeni‘s grandfather Darrel says the blame should still be placed on the teenagers who did nothing to help his grandson.
“I think they ran away and they left him,” the elder Crimeni said while standing in the location near the Walnut Grove tennis courts where Carson was eventually found, barely breathing.
The actions of two officers who went to look for Carson at the Walnut Grove Skateboard Park after responding to a 911 call are being investigated by the Independent Investigations Office (IIO), the watchdog confirmed Wednesday.
That report was placed at 8 p.m. after the caller saw video and photos on Snapchat that showed Carson at the skate park with a group of teens, appearing to be high on drugs and growing visibly agitated.
The teens can be seen and heard laughing at Carson as his condition worsens.
The video suggests Carson was high on “molly” or MDMA, but police have not confirmed what drugs were involved. A toxicology report is being conducted to determine what drugs were in Carson’s system.
WATCH: (Aug. 22) IIO releases new details in death of 14-year-old
Carson eventually left the park, travelling through the grounds of Walnut Grove Secondary School and the nearby athletic park.
Darrel Crimeni said a second 911 call was placed at 9:30, but also didn’t lead to a sighting of Carson.
At 10 p.m., two hours after the first 911 call was placed, first responders finally located Carson thanks to a tip from another group of teens who came across the boy. He was pronounced dead in hospital a short time later.
The IIO said it is investigating whether the actions or inaction of the officers who were called at 8 p.m. played a role in Carson’s death, but Darrel Crimeni says he isn’t considering that factor.
“If the police had showed up and found him at 8 p.m., perhaps they could have saved him,” Crimeni said. “But it wasn’t the police who killed Carson.”
The Crimeni family has been pushing for charges against the teenagers in the video, who legal experts have said could face counts of criminal negligence causing death.
Lawyer Ravi Hira says investigators should go even further and determine where the drugs came from.
“The issue at play here is, how did he get the drugs? Who supplied the drugs?” Hira said. “Because those are the people that are criminally responsible. The police have done nothing wrong here.”
WATCH: (Aug. 10) Overdose victim’s family urges against vigilantism
Langley RCMP have not said whether they are considering charges, only that they’re continuing to investigate.
Crimeni says he’s not focused on the criminal investigation, but hopes some good can come from it so what happened to Carson doesn’t happen to anyone else.
“He was a joy,” he said. “He’s my only grandchild.”
— With files from Jill Bennett
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