SUDBURY -- Ontario's Special Investigations Unit has cleared a member of the North Bay Police who administered CPR on a man who later died of a suspected drug overdose.
SIU director Joseph Martino said Tuesday he has terminated an investigation into the death of the 35-year-old man last month in North Bay.
The incident began in the early afternoon July 29 when police were called to help with a suspected drug-overdose victim. An officer arrived at the scene and provided CPR for a short period before paramedics took over caring for the man.
He was later taken to hospital where he was pronounced deceased.
“Based on the SIU’s preliminary inquiries – which included a statement from a civilian eyewitness in whose apartment the man fell into medical distress and received care from the officer – I am satisfied that there is patently nothing to investigate as far as the potential criminal liability of the officer is concerned in relation to the man’s death," Martino wrote in his decision.
While the official cause of the man’s death hasn't been officially determined, he said it is suspected to be related to a drug overdose.
"The officer did not cause or contribute to the man’s death in any fashion that could conceivably attract criminal sanction. His involvement was brief and consisted of emergency First Aid. Accordingly, the SIU investigation is hereby discontinued and the file is closed."
