Timmins police cleared in 14-year-old's death this spring

Ontario's Special Investigations Unit headquarters in Mississauga, Ont. (Colin Perkel/The Canadian Press)

WARNING: The subject matter may be upsetting to some readers.

Timmins Police Service has been cleared of any wrongdoing by the Ontario Special Investigations Unit in a case involving a 14-year-old boy who died by suicide in April.

Police received a 911 call at 3:20 a.m. April 23 from the teen, who said he had guns inside his home, SUI director Joseph Martino said in a report.

The first officer arrived within seven minutes and after an hour of trying to contact the boy via phone and microphone, a team of officers entered the home and found him deceased.

"On April 23, 2023, a 14-year-old male passed away, the result of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. As Timmins Police Service officers were either responding to the scene or present in the vicinity, at the time of the shooting, the SIU was notified and initiated an investigation," the release said.

Martino said that based on his assessment of the evidence there was no reasonable grounds to believe that an officer committed a criminal offence in connection with the youth’s death.

"The officer was right to approach the scene cautiously given information that the complainant was in possession of a firearm," the news release said.

"After their efforts to contact the complainant from outside the home were exhausted, the officer led a team into the house to locate him. Within moments of their entry, the officers located a clearly deceased complainant."

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The SIU is an independent government agency that investigates the conduct of police officers that may have resulted in death, serious injury, sexual assault and/or the discharge of a firearm at a person.