WARNING: This story contains content some may find disturbing. Discretion is advised.
The province’s police watchdog has cleared a member of the Ontario Provincial Police in the drowning death of a 71-year-old man near Ottawa last August, concluding that the officer did all he could to save the man who was reportedly experiencing suicidal impulses.
The Special Investigations Unit (SIU), Ontario’s civilian body tasked with investigating police-involved incidents, said in a release Monday that there is no basis to pursue charges of criminal negligence against one of the OPP officers involved in the incident this past summer.
According to a narrative laid out by SIU director Joseph Martino in the report, the victim in the case had walked away from the Montfort Hospital in Ottawa’s east end on Aug. 22, 2020 for the second day in a row.
The man had been held there under the Mental Health Act for psychiatric examination, according to the report, and has “resolved to end his life.”
At roughly 7:30 p.m., the man found himself at the docks of Moulin Park in Clarence Rockland, Ont.
There, he was found by the officer who was subject to the SIU investigation. The officer in question approached the man, who then jumped into the water, the report said.
The subject officer proceeded to talk to the man from the shore while another officer arriving at the scene disrobed and attempted to rescue the man from the water. He searched the water for 10 minutes to no avail.
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Area firefighters and additional OPP members arrived on scene to conduct a search of the waters to no avail.
The man’s body was found three days later floating about 100 metres east of where he entered the water. An autopsy concluded the man’s death was a result of drowning.
As part of its investigation, the SIU reviewed partial video footage of the incident, but that recording did not include any interaction between the subject officer and the deceased.
SIU investigators also interviewed the officer in question but he did not turn over his notes from the incident, which he is not compelled to do.
Nonetheless, the police watchdog determined there was no basis to charge the officer with criminal negligence in this case, concluding he was never close enough to the man to prevent him from jumping in the water.
“In the instant case, the question is essentially this: did the officers who dealt with the complainant cause or contribute to his death by way of derelict behaviour sufficient to attract criminal sanction. The answer is clearly in the negative,” Martino says in the report.
“I am satisfied the officer did what he could in the circumstances.”
If you or someone you know is in crisis and needs help, resources are available. In case of an emergency, please call 911 for immediate help.
Crisis Services Canada’s toll-free helpline provides 24-7 support at 1-833-456-4566.
Kids Help Phone operates a toll-free helpline at 1-800-668-6868 with 24-7 support for young people as well as the Crisis Text Line, which can be reached by texting HOME to 686868.
The toll-free Hope for Wellness helpline provides 24-7 support for Indigenous Peoples at 1-855-242-3310. Online chat services are also available.
Trans Lifeline operates a toll-free peer support hotline for trans and questioning people at 1-877-330-6366.
For a directory of support services in your area, visit the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention.
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