Sault officer cleared in death during 2021 arrest
WARNING: Graphic content may be upsetting to some audiences.
Ontario's Special Investigations Unit has wrapped up a case involving a 30-year-old man who died of a self-inflicted stab wound during an arrest in Sault Ste. Marie in January 2021.
The officer at the centre of the investigation has been found not criminally responsible for the suspect's death by the provincial watchdog, SIU director Joseph Martino said in a news release Monday.
Sault Ste. Marie police were called to an apartment complex on Albert Street East around 7:30 p.m. Jan. 23, 2021, about an aggressive man with a knife that refused to leave the lobby.
When officers arrived, the suspect kept his right hand inside his coat pocket and declined to remove it after repeated requests, saying his arm was broken, the release said. He told the cops he was trying to get to a local shelter.
The suspect was under probation for assaulting a peace officer and was not allowed to have knives, Martino's report said.
When his possession of a knife became evident, an officer told him he was under arrest, but the suspect didn't surrender.
"Efforts to persuade the man to disarm himself and show his right hand were to no avail. At some point, three officers deployed their conducted energy weapons at the man," the SIU said.
"As the man fell to the ground, his right hand came out of his pocket holding a knife, which he used to cut across the front of his neck."
The officers were able to get the man under control after a struggle and performed first aid on the suspect, Martino said.
He was taken to hospital by paramedics where he was pronounced dead.
The SIU investigates cases of serious injury, death, shooting or sexual assault allegations involving police.
This case involved four civilian and eight official witnesses.
Read the full report here.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.
What is whooping cough and should Canadians be concerned as Europe declares outbreak?
There is currently a whooping cough epidemic in Europe, with 10 times as many cases compared to the previous two years. While an outbreak has not been declared nationwide in Canada, whooping cough is regularly detected in the country.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
B.C. theatre to pay $55K to neurodivergent actor in discrimination case
British Columbia's human rights tribunal has awarded a neurodigergent actor, who was diagnosed with sensory and learning disorders, more than $55,000 after finding that a Kelowna theatre company discriminated against him because of his disabilities.
Who's responsible for regulating cannabis stores operating under the sovereignty banner?
It's not quite clear who is supposed to be regulating so-called sovereign cannabis stores or even ensure they're benefiting Indigenous communities.