KAWARTHA LAKES-The provinces Special Investigations Unit (SIU) has concluded, on assessment of the evidence, that there are no reasonable grounds to believe that any officer committed a criminal offence in connection with a 37-year-old man’s death in Cameron in June.
The SIU says on the morning of June 1, 2023, OPP officers were dispatched to a residence in Cameron. A resident of the address had called 911 to report a man was present on the property and that he had been harassing the caller for a long time.
Two OPP officers arrived at the address at about 8:45 a.m. with the intention of checking a shed on the property where the Complainant had allegedly been observed sleeping. According to the SIU the man exited the shed and made his way into the basement of the house, refusing to stop as police called out his name. The officers made their way to the threshold of the open basement door, from which location the man was seen in the darkness some distance into the basement. According to police he was standing but bent over a shotgun that was pointed at his chest. One of the officers yelled “Gun,” after which the shotgun was discharged and the man had shot himself.
According to the SIU the officers later entered the basement and located the man slumped on the ground. He was clearly deceased.
As Ontario Provincial Police officers were in proximity to the man at the time, the SIU was notified and initiated an investigation.
The investigation is now concluded. On his assessment of the evidence, SIU Director Joseph Martino determined there were no reasonable grounds to believe that any officer committed a criminal offence in connection with the man’s death. There was no basis for proceeding with criminal charges in this case, and the file has been closed.
