No Criminal Charges Warranted after Man Fatally Shot Self in Presence of SSM Police Service Officer

Nov 4, 2017 @ 08:05
The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Tony Loparco, has determined there are no reasonable grounds to lay criminal charges against a Sault Ste. Marie Police Service officer in relation to the death of a 40-year-old man who shot himself on May 29, 2016.
The Director’s Report was delivered to the Attorney General, as is required by law under the Police Services Act. The Attorney General has directed that the document be posted online. It can be found at https://www.ontario.ca/page/special-investigations-unit-siu-directors-reports.

The SIU is an arm’s length agency that investigates reports involving police where there has been death, serious injury or allegations of sexual assault. Under the Police Services Act, the Director of the SIU must

  • consider whether an officer has committed a criminal offence  in connection with the incident under investigation
  • depending on the evidence, lay a criminal charge against the officer if appropriate or close the file without any charges being laid
  • report the results of any investigations to the Attorney General.
This Media Release