NEWS RELEASE
SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS UNIT
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The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, has terminated an investigation into a 32-year-old man’s fall and broken foot in Hamilton.
Based on the SIU’s preliminary inquiries, including a review of video footage, on the night of May 26, 2024, police were called to a home in the Dundas Valley area for a disturbance. The man was in his bedroom on the second floor when police arrived. One of the officers was speaking to the man’s mother when the man climbed out his bedroom window on to the wet roof and slipped, falling to the ground below. He suffered a fractured right heel.
No police officer interacted with the man prior to his fall. On this record, Martino concluded the man alone was responsible for the consequences of his misadventure.
The SIU is an independent government agency that investigates the conduct of officials (police officers as well as special constables with the Niagara Parks Commission and peace officers with the Legislative Protective Service) that may have resulted in death, serious injury, sexual assault and/or the discharge of a firearm at a person. All investigations are conducted by SIU investigators who are civilians. Under the Special Investigations Unit Act, the Director of the SIU must
- consider whether the official has committed a criminal offence in connection with the incident under investigation
- depending on the evidence, cause a criminal charge to be laid against the official where grounds exist for doing so, or close the file without any charges being laid
- publicly report the results of its investigations
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