1-year-old boy dead, OPP officer injured in confrontation

These are violations by the Ontario Provincial Police officers dealing with the Criminal Code of Canada, Controlled Substance and Abuse Act, Customs and Excise Act, etc.

SIU finds that police shot and killed Kawartha Lakes boy

Postby Thomas » Fri Feb 26, 2021 4:59 pm

Shooting incident on Pigeon Lake Road followed reported abduction by boy's father near Bobcaygeon

The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) has concluded that the child killed in the tragic shooting in Kawartha Lakes in November was shot by a City of Kawartha Lakes OPP officer.

The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) has concluded that the child killed in the tragic shooting in Kawartha Lakes in November was shot by a City of Kawartha Lakes OPP officer.

These findings were released on Thursday, Feb. 11 by the SIU.

“Upon receipt and review of additional forensic evidence in this case, including the results of the postmortem examination performed on a child, and reports prepared by the Centre of Forensic Sciences of analyses conducted with respect to bloodstains in the pickup truck, the trajectory of shots that struck the truck, and firearms, cartridge cases and projectiles, the SIU can today confirm that the child’s death on Nov. 26, 2020 in Kawartha Lakes was the result of being shot by police,” reads a release.

The SIU claims on that date, a one-year-old boy, identified as Jameson Shapiro on a GoFundMe page, died in the course of an interaction between the boy’s 33-year-old father and OPP officers. The father – who was shot by police – succumbed to his injuries in hospital.

"We continue to offer our deepest sympathies to the family and those affected as we await the final report of the Kawartha Lakes SIU Investigation," OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique wrote on Twitter Thursday afternoon.

"It is devastating to all OPP members when an innocent life is lost during an incident."

No further details were released and the SIU has not said if the father fired upon officers during the incident. SIU communications co-ordinater, Monica Hudon, says the SIU is unable to release that information at this time of the investigation because they’re still awaiting additional firearm reports and postmortem results for the father.

Further, Hudon says the three OPP officers who discharged their firearms have not availed themselves of an opportunity to be interviewed. Subject officers are under no legal obligation to speak with the SIU.

"Once all of the evidence is in, the director will examine that evidence to determine whether there are reasonable grounds to lay charges," Hudon adds.

It has been almost three months since the alleged kidnapping of the Trent Lakes boy by his father east of Bobcaygeon on Nov. 26, 2020. That incident resulted in a police pursuit that ended with a collision east of Lindsay on Pigeon Lake Road and police firing upon a pickup truck with a 33-year-old man and his son inside. Both the man and his child sustained gunshot wounds in the incident.

The child was pronounced dead at the scene and the father died later of his injuries.

A few days after the incident the SIU released the following information from its preliminary investigation:

• At approximately 8:45 a.m. on November 26, 2020, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) was made aware that a father had abducted his son from the Municipality of Trent Lakes.

• A short time later, the OPP located a vehicle of interest – a pickup truck – in the City of Kawartha Lakes on Sturgeon Road. Officers attempted to stop the truck.

• On Pigeon Lake Road, the truck became involved in a collision with an OPP cruiser and a civilian vehicle. At that time, an OPP officer was standing outside of the cruiser and he sustained serious injuries.

• An interaction ensued between the 33-year-old vehicle driver and officers, and three officers discharged their firearms. The man was struck and airlifted to the hospital in grave condition.

• Inside the pickup truck was a one-year-old boy. He had sustained a gunshot wound and was pronounced deceased at the scene.

https://www.toronto.com/news-story/1032 ... lakes-boy/
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Six months after confirming baby was killed by OPP gunfire,

Postby Thomas » Thu Aug 26, 2021 9:21 am

Six months after confirming baby was killed by OPP gunfire, SIU hasn’t interviewed officers and case is in ‘hold pattern’

Six months after the provincial police watchdog confirmed a baby boy and his father were fatally shot by the Ontario Provincial Police, the officers who opened fire have not been interviewed and the investigation is “in a hold pattern” awaiting results of ballistic testing by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

In a “rare” move in one of its highest-profile recent cases, Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU) has tapped the FBI to perform forensic ballistics testing, a specialty of the U.S. agency, according to SIU spokesperson Kristy Denette.

The SIU’s update is the first since February, when the watchdog confirmed an 18-month-old baby was fatally shot by the OPP following an alleged child abduction on Nov. 26, 2020, in Kawartha Lakes.

Friday’s brief news release came one day after the Star inquired about the status of the investigation and asked why there had been no public update in six months.

In an email, Denette said the SIU is “unable to say when the investigation might come to a conclusion.”

“The SIU recognizes the high public interest in this tragic case and is moving as quickly as it can to bring the investigation to resolution. We ask for the public’s continued patience as the investigation is conducted,” the SIU said in the statement Friday.

Eighteen-month-old Jameson Shapiro died after the OPP opened fire on his father’s truck on a rural road in Kawartha Lakes (the SIU has not released the boy’s identity, but it was independently confirmed by the Star). The boy’s 33-year-old father later died in hospital as a result of the shooting.

According to the SIU, OPP officers were summoned to a call at 8:45 a.m. about a father abducting his son from the Municipality of Trent Lakes, near Bobcaygeon.

Shortly after, three officers opened fire at the father’s vehicle after it crashed into an OPP cruiser and another vehicle, seriously injuring an OPP officer who was attempting to put out a spike belt.

Denette confirmed Friday that none of the three officers at the centre of the probe have been interviewed by the SIU. Like all Canadians, police officers have a charter right to remain silent facing criminal investigation, though in the context of fatal police use of force that guarantee is controversial.

Nineteen witness officers and 14 civilian witnesses have been interviewed so far, Denette said.

For weeks after the baby’s death, there was speculation about exactly how the boy had died. Shortly after the shooting, SIU investigators revealed that they’d found a handgun inside the father’s truck, a piece of evidence that left open the possibility the boy had been shot dead before police opened fire.

The SIU later stated that forensic evidence, including trajectory and bloodstain analysis, determined the baby was shot by police.

Acknowledging there was “public interest in this tragic case,” the SIU initially provided regular updates on the status of the investigation, including details about evidence collected on scene and the date of the child’s post-mortem.

The practice of frequent updates on SIU investigations was recommended by Ontario Court of Appeal Justice Michael Tulloch in his omnibus review of police oversight in 2016.

Howard Morton, a Toronto lawyer and former director of the SIU, said there may well be reasons why this probe could be taking many months, but said there’s a risk that the public will lose trust in the process if they are kept in the dark.

That’s true, too, if members of the public don’t understand what is taking so long, Morton said.

“Of course, any delay causes a distrust, and it becomes compounded — rightly or wrongly — when they reach the decision that there are no charges here,” Morton said.

On Dec. 1, 2020, a new SIU Act came into effect requiring that the SIU complete investigations within 120 days — roughly four months — or provide public notice that the probe is continuing.

After 120 days, the watchdog “shall make a public statement respecting the status of the investigation every 30 days,” according to the legislation.

The reporting requirements don’t apply to the Kawartha Lakes shooting, however, because it happened on Nov. 26, 2020 — just days before the new law came into effect.

https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2021/0 ... ttern.html
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Nearly a year after a baby was killed by OPP gunfire, SIU sa

Postby Thomas » Thu Nov 25, 2021 5:54 pm

Nearly a year after a baby was killed by OPP gunfire, SIU says its ‘major’ investigation needs more time

Just days away from the anniversary of an Ontario Provincial Police officer fatally shooting a baby and his father during an alleged child abduction, the province’s police watchdog has still made no decision about criminal charges in one of its highest-profile cases.

In a statement Tuesday, the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) said it’s in the final stages of what it called a “major” investigation — but nearly 365 days since the unprecedented fatal police shooting of a baby, the watchdog hasn’t resolved the case and can’t say when it will.

“I think the public rightfully has reason to be concerned about delay in the case like this,” said Christine Mainville, a Toronto lawyer who served as counsel on an omnibus 2017 review of police oversight by Ontario Court of Appeal Justice Michael Tulloch.

Acknowledging that this case may be particularly complex — according to details released by the SIU over the last year, the shootings happened at an apparently chaotic roadblock that also left one officer with serious injuries — the investigation nonetheless seems to be taking a “very long” time, Mainville told the Star, noting the length of watchdog probes was an issue identified by Tulloch in the review. She stressed that these investigations should not be rushed, “but the longer it takes, certainly the more reporting back to the public there needs to be.”

Friday marks the one-year anniversary since 18-month-old Jameson Shapiro was shot and killed when the OPP opened fire on his father’s truck in Kawartha Lakes (the SIU has not released the boy’s identity, but it has been independently confirmed by the Star). The boy’s 33-year-old father was also shot and later died in hospital.

The Nov. 26, 2020 shooting by three OPP officers was the chaotic culmination of a call to police about a father abducting his son from the Municipality of Trent Lakes, near Bobcaygeon. According to the SIU, after police tracked the father’s truck to a rural road in Kawartha Lakes, he crashed into an OPP cruiser and another vehicle, seriously injuring an OPP officer putting out a spike belt. The officers then opened fire on the truck.

For nearly three months after the shooting, it was initially unclear who had shot the baby, and the SIU initially noted a handgun had been found inside the father’s truck. In February, the watchdog confirmed that forensic evidence, including trajectory and bloodstain analysis, had determined the baby had been shot by police.

In an update on the progress of the investigation Tuesday, SIU spokesperson Kristy Denette said the SIU has received the results of its rare request to have the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) provide a forensic report. The watchdog announced in August that it had tapped the American agency to provide “specialized, out-of-country forensic testing of some of the ballistic evidence.”

“The SIU is reviewing the FBI’s forensic report and continues to actively investigate this tragic case,” the SIU said its release Tuesday.

In a statement to the Star, Denette acknowledged the investigation “is taking time to complete” and that the watchdog is committed to conducting a thorough and complete investigation. The probe has been a “major investigation that has required dozens of interviews and complex forensic examinations,” she said.

“I can’t commit to a specific timeframe for completion at this time, other than to say the SIU investigation is in its final stages and staff are working as quickly as possible to see it through,” she said.

Denette confirmed that the SIU has not interviewed the three cops who opened fire. The SIU has requested statements from them in the letter designating them as subject officers, Denette said, but “none of the officers have to date stepped forward to provide a statement.”

Officers who are the subject of a criminal investigation by the SIU are not legally required to speak to the agency.

In a statement to the Star Tuesday, Ontario Provincial Police Association President Rob Stinson, whose union represents the officers under investigation, said it “respects the process of the SIU investigation and continue to support our affected members.

“We continue to keep in our thoughts the mother and family of the little boy who tragically died,” Stinson said.

Mainville said it’s clear the SIU has been making an effort to keep the public apprised of progress via updates on the probe — information that may not have been released in the past. The practice of frequent updates on SIU investigations was a recommendation of the Tulloch review.

Last year, a new SIU Act came into effect requiring that the SIU complete investigations within 120 days or provide public notice that the probe is continuing. After 120 days, the watchdog “shall make a public statement respecting the status of the investigation every 30 days,” according to the legislation.

But the reporting requirements don’t apply to the Kawartha Lakes shooting because it happened just days before the new law came into effect.

https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2021/1 ... -time.html
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Ontario’s police watchdog receives ballistic testing in shoo

Postby Thomas » Thu Nov 25, 2021 6:06 pm

Ontario’s police watchdog receives ballistic testing in shooting death of boy, father

MISSISSAUGA, Ont. - Ontario’s police watchdog says it has received ballistic testing results in a police shooting that left a one-year-old boy and his father dead.

The Special Investigations Unit has said Ontario Provincial Police officers shot at a 33-year-old father in Kawartha Lakes, Ont., in his car after he allegedly abducted his child on Nov. 26, 2020.

The agency has said evidence suggests police gunfire killed both the father and his child.

The SIU says it is reviewing results of the ballistic testing from the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The agency says it is not releasing details of the results as its investigation remains active. The identities of the boy and his father have not been released.

The SIU says it is moving as quickly as possible to finish its investigation.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 23, 2021.

https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/202 ... ather.html
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SIU receives FBI report in relation to 1-year-old boy’s poli

Postby Thomas » Thu Nov 25, 2021 6:07 pm

SIU receives FBI report in relation to 1-year-old boy’s police shooting death in Kawartha Lakes

The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) has received testing results from the Federal Bureau of Investigation in relation to the incident involving the deaths of a one-year-old boy and his father near Lindsay.

This update was released by the SIU on Tuesday (Nov. 23), almost one year since the tragic incident that occurred on Pigeon Lake Road east of Lindsay.

“The SIU is reviewing the FBI’s forensic report and continues to actively investigate this tragic case. The SIU understands the public interest in the results; however, as is our process with all ongoing SIU cases, the Unit does not release details that could jeopardize the integrity of the investigation,” reads the update.

On Nov. 26, 2020, Jameson Shapiro, 1, and his 33-year-old father sustained gunshot wounds in the course of an interaction between the father and OPP officers.

The child was pronounced deceased at the scene, and the father succumbed to his injuries almost one week later.

The SIU has said the boy died as a result of being shot by police.

“The SIU recognizes the one-year anniversary of this case is approaching and is moving as quickly as it can to bring the investigation to resolution,” reads the SIU update.

No further details were released.

It's alleged that Jameson was kidnapped from his Trent Lakes home east of Bobcaygeon by his father on Nov. 26, 2020. That incident resulted in a police pursuit that ended with a collision east of Lindsay on Pigeon Lake Road and police firing upon a pickup truck with the 33-year-old man and his son inside. The child was pronounced dead at the scene and the father died later of his injuries.

A few days after the incident the SIU released the following information from its preliminary investigation:

• At approximately 8:45 a.m. on November 26, 2020, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) was made aware that a father had abducted his son from the Municipality of Trent Lakes.

• A short time later, the OPP located a vehicle of interest – a pickup truck – in the City of Kawartha Lakes on Sturgeon Road. Officers attempted to stop the truck.

• On Pigeon Lake Road, the truck became involved in a collision with an OPP cruiser and a civilian vehicle. At that time, an OPP officer was standing outside of the cruiser and he sustained serious injuries.

• An interaction ensued between the 33-year-old vehicle driver and officers, and three officers discharged their firearms. The man was struck and airlifted to the hospital in grave condition.

• Inside the pickup truck was a one-year-old boy. He had sustained a gunshot wound and was pronounced deceased at the scene.

https://www.northumberlandnews.com/news ... tha-lakes/

https://globalnews.ca/news/8396434/siu- ... -shooting/

https://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com ... lakes.html
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Almost 1 year after Ontario police shot baby, father, watchd

Postby Thomas » Thu Nov 25, 2021 6:12 pm

Almost 1 year after Ontario police shot baby, father, watchdog agency gets FBI report, but offers no answers

Ontario's Special Investigations Unit says it has received forensic ballistic testing conducted by the FBI

Ontario's Special Investigations Unit (SIU) says it has received testing results that it was waiting on from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) linked to a high-profile case where a baby boy and his father were fatally shot by Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) — but nearly a year on from the shooting, the agency has made no conclusions.

The news comes about eight months following the SIU announcement that both the 33-year-old father and his one-year-old son died in Kawartha Lakes as a result of police gunfire, after OPP officers were reportedly told the man had abducted the baby from the area of Trent Lakes.

"The SIU recognizes the one-year anniversary of this case is approaching and is moving as quickly as it can to bring the investigation to resolution," the police watchdog said in a statement issued Tuesday.

Early information indicated police were called at approximately 8:45 a.m. on Nov. 26, 2020, about the alleged abduction, according to the SIU.

Not long after, police located a pickup truck identified as a "vehicle of interest" on Sturgeon Road in Kawartha Lakes.

Officers tried to intercept the truck, but it crashed into an OPP cruiser as well as another car on Pigeon Lake Road. One officer who was standing outside the cruiser at the time was seriously hurt in the process, the SIU said.

Three officers then opened fire, striking the one-year-old boy inside the truck as well as his father.

The boy was pronounced dead at the scene. His father was taken to hospital in grave condition and died of his injuries about a week later.

Officers have not agreed to be interviewed, SIU says

To date, the SIU has not released the name of the boy or his father, nor indicated why police opened fire on a vehicle if an allegedly abducted baby might have been inside.

SIU spokesperson Kristy Denette told CBC News Tuesday that the officers involved in the case "have not agreed to be interviewed."

Under Ontario law, subject officers — like anyone suspected of a crime — have the right to remain silent and cannot be compelled to speak to the SIU, despite calls for police officers to be held to a higher standard given their duty to protect.

"While the SIU has requested statements via the letter sent to designate them as subject officers, none of the officers have to date stepped forward to provide a statement, as is their legal right," Denette said in an email.

In the months since the shooting, little information had been released about the incident, with the SIU calling for patience as it works through the investigation.

Agency reviewing FBI report

In August, the SIU said the investigation was in a "hold pattern" while awaiting the results of forensic ballistic testing by the FBI.

The agency now says it has received those results, but offered no information about them Tuesday.

"The SIU is reviewing the FBI's forensic report and continues to actively investigate this tragic case," the news release reads.

"The SIU understands the public interest in the results; however, as is our process with all ongoing SIU cases, the Unit does not release details that could jeopardize the integrity of the investigation."

As part of the investigation, four investigators, two forensic investigators and a collision reconstructionist were assigned to the case. At least 14 police officers and 12 civilian witnesses were interviewed.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ ... -1.6259667
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SIU receives FBI results in Kawartha Lakes shooting case, ha

Postby Thomas » Fri Dec 10, 2021 6:26 am

SIU receives FBI results in Kawartha Lakes shooting case, has yet to draw conclusions

KAWARTHA LAKES: The Ontario Special Investigations Unit (SIU) has provided a little update on where their investigation stands, into an Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) shootout incident in Kawartha Lakes, where a one-year-old boy died.

“The Special Investigations Unit has received testing results, from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, in relation to the incident involving the deaths of a one-year-old boy and his father in Kawartha Lakes nearly one year ago,” a recent SIU press release stated.

However, the SIU has not yet provided any conclusions from those results.

“The SIU is reviewing the FBI’s forensic report and continues to actively investigate this tragic case. The SIU understands the public interest in the results. However, as is our process with all ongoing SIU cases, the Unit does not release details [which] could jeopardize the integrity of the investigation,” the press release explained.

The incident occurred in November 2020. In an earlier SIU release, the Unit explained the incident occurred when “the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) was made aware a father had abducted his son, from the Municipality of Trent Lakes.”

Officers then located “a pickup truck, in the City of Kawartha Lakes, on Sturgeon Road.”

“On Pigeon Lake Road, the truck became involved in a collision with an OPP cruiser and a civilian vehicle. At that time, an OPP officer was standing outside of the cruiser, and he sustained serious injuries. An interaction ensued between the 33-year-old vehicle driver and officers, and three officers discharged their firearms. The man was struck and airlifted to the hospital in grave condition. Inside the pickup truck was a one-year-old boy. He had sustained a gunshot wound and was pronounced deceased at the scene,” the earlier press release stated.

In September, the SIU explained their investigation into the incident was “in a holding pattern” as they waited for “the results of specialized, out-of-country, forensic testing of some of the ballistic evidence by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.”

The SIU acknowledged this investigation has been ongoing for some time now.

“The SIU recognizes the one-year anniversary of this case is approaching and is moving as quickly as it can to bring the investigation to resolution,” the most recent SIU press release concluded.

https://www.therecord.com/ts/news/canad ... sions.html
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Re: 1-year-old boy dead, OPP officer injured in confrontatio

Postby Gkuke » Sun Jan 30, 2022 9:05 pm

This baby and father were murdered by Peterborough OPP officers

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SIU probe into toddler’s shooting death by OPP is at 579 day

Postby Thomas » Tue Jul 05, 2022 3:16 pm

SIU probe into toddler’s shooting death by OPP is at 579 days and counting

The Ontario Special Investigation Unit's (SIU) investigation into the fatal police shootings of a one-year-old boy and his father has stretched far beyond the 120-day limit introduced in 2019, a length of time one lawyer calls 'outrageous'.

The incident followed the child's abduction by his father on Nov. 26, 2020 from a home in Trent Lakes, north of Lakefield, public SIU statements say.

OPP officers sent to rescue the child found the father's truck in Kawartha Lakes, east of Lindsay. The truck rammed an OPP cruiser and an unrelated vehicle, seriously injuring one of the officers.

Three officers opened fire on the truck. The boy was pronounced dead at the scene, and his father died later in hospital.

In February of 2021, the SIU said that the two had been killed by police gunfire (the father had a handgun with him in the truck).

The last public update on the case was in November of 2021, when the SIU said the investigation was "currently in a hold pattern" due to delays in forensic testing by the FBI.

"This remains an open investigation," SIU spokesperson Kristy Denette wrote in an email to QP Briefing on June 7. "I’m unable to provide a specific timeline for conclusion."

The SIU investigates cases of death or serious injury linked to police, and makes a decision on whether to lay criminal charges.

Legislative changes in 2019 set a 120-day time limit on SIU investigations. If investigations go over that time, the SIU director is supposed to make a public statement about the delay every 30 days, something the SIU has been doing.

If the investigation continues to July 19, it will have reached five times the 120-day limit.

"The investigation ... is currently ongoing. It would be inappropriate for the Ministry of the Attorney General to comment further or become involved in any aspect of the SIU investigation," ministry spokesperson Brian Gray wrote in an email.

Toronto lawyer Barry Swadron calls the delay "outrageous."

"It's hard to think that there is any excuse for extending it so long," he says. "I can’t fathom why it's taking so long."

Former SIU director Ian Scott is puzzled at the length of the investigation.

"There's something unusual about this, and I don’t know what it is. The tension is obviously between producing responses relatively quickly and doing a thorough investigation. I was always at the view that if it took more time, it took more time."

"There's clearly something on the radar screen that they want an answer to, and they don't have it at this point, so it's holding things up."

Both are perplexed by the decision to involve the FBI, pointing out that the SIU has forensic capabilities of its own, and access to the Centre for Forensic Sciences.

"I don't think we ever went to the U.S. for ballistics issues, when I think about it," Scott says.

He suspects that it may be very difficult to work out which officer's weapon had which effects, which will be central to taking the case to court.

"I would imagine that was the reason it was sent to the FBI because there would have been some issue with respect to the attributing the bullet to the particular gun. What seems to be relatively straightforward is sometimes not, because the bullets can be deformed. So the attribution can be difficult, and maybe that's what took them down to the FBI."

Once fired, bullets often have microscopic details that can link them to the barrel of the specific gun they're fired from.

But many types of Glock handguns, like those carried by the OPP, don't work that way because of the way the barrel is made. The OPP did not respond to questions about whether this was true of their issued sidearms.

"The attribution issues can be very difficult with Glocks, if not impossible," Scott says. "That may be the reason why this just taking the time it’s taking."

On the other hand, Swadron says, if the question turns out to be unresolvable, investigators should say so and move on.

"I think the answer is they should come clean and say the reason there can't be accountability is there is no possible way that we can put the finger on any of these police officers. If that's the situation, well, why don't they come clean and say that that’s the situation?"

The three officers involved have not made statements to the SIU as of June 28 of this year, Hudon said. They are not required to.

Scott points out that "there's no such thing as a perfect investigation."

"There could be more information, but you do have to draw a line, at some point, just say, look, it's time to close the case, I've got enough information to make a considered decision and provide reasons."

The situation has the potential for criminal charges, Swadron argues; since officers were sent to find the boy, they knew he was present.

"They knew, or should have known, if they're rescuing or seeking to rescue the baby, that if they use their firearms, that they could harm the baby."

However, without linking the boy's death to a weapon fired by a specific police officer, a prosecution will go nowhere, Swadron says.

"You can’t call each one of the three cops one-third responsible — it doesn't work that way. You have to say: 'This cop did it. Ballistics show that his gun is the one that fired the fatal shot.'"

https://www.qpbriefing.com/2022/06/28/s ... -counting/
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Three OPP officers charged with manslaughter in death of boy

Postby Thomas » Fri Sep 02, 2022 7:57 am

Three OPP officers charged with manslaughter in death of boy in police shooting

Three Ontario Provincial Police officers have been charged with manslaughter in the death of a one-year-old boy after a shooting in Kawartha Lakes, Ont., nearly two years ago, the province's police watchdog said Wednesday.

The Special Investigations Unit announced Wednesday that OPP constables Nathan Vanderheyden, Kenneth Pengelly and Grayson Cappus have each been charged with one count of manslaughter and one count of criminal negligence causing death in relation to death of 18-month-old Jameson Shapiro.

The SIU has said officers shot at the boy’s 33-year-old father in his car in Kawartha Lakes, Ont., after he allegedly abducted his child on Nov. 26, 2020.

Jameson died that day while his father died from his injuries in hospital nearly a week after the incident.

The SIU has said three police officers opened fire on the father's pickup truck while Jameson was in the back seat after the truck crashed into a police cruiser, injuring an officer who was laying down a spike belt.

The agency has said evidence suggested police gunfire killed both the father and his child.

Police have said they found four guns at the scene, three belonging to the officers and one found near the father's truck.

OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique extended sympathies to the family in a statement Wednesday, saying it is "devastating when an innocent life is lost during an incident."

Carrique said the OPP would not comment further as the case works its way through court.

Rob Stinson, president of the Ontario Provincial Police Association – the union which represents nearly 10,000 members – said in a statement the "incident is a tragic circumstance for all involved."

"We are fully supporting our members charged and our officers and civilian staff affected, with some still off work. It has impacted many people, families, first responders, and our members. Every single day police officers make split second decisions that most will never have to make and wouldn’t want to make," he said.

"This case is now before the courts. Everyone is entitled to due process. Our members have cooperated with the investigation in accordance with the law.”

In January 2021, the SIU said the three officers who opened fire had not agreed to be interviewed, and were under no legal obligation to do so. At the time, the SIU had interviewed 18 police officers and 14 civilians as part of its investigation.

The SIU said Wednesday it would not comment further on the investigation, with the case before the court.

The probe was at one point put on hold while the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted ballistic testing.

The charged officers are set to appear in a Lindsay, Ont., court on October 6.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 31, 2022.

Note to readers: This is a corrected story. The Special Investigations Unit has issued a correction to the name of one of the officers who has been charged.

https://www.pentictonherald.ca/news/nat ... b45fe.html
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Three OPP officers charged with manslaughter in death of boy

Postby Thomas » Fri Sep 02, 2022 8:01 am

Three OPP officers charged with manslaughter in death of boy in police shooting

The Special Invesigtations Unit has laid charges against three provincial police officers in the shooting death of a one-year-old boy in Kawartha Lakes in November 2020.

OPP officers shot at the boy’s 33-year-old father in his car after he allegedly abducted his child. The child, identified by the SIU as 18-month-old Jameson Shapiro, died that day while his father died of gunshot wounds about a week later.

The SIU had been investigating the Nov. 26 incident. In November 2021, the SIU said they were reviewing a forensic ballistics report from the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

Last year, Peterborough County OPP members were dispatched to a domestic dispute involving a man armed with a firearm in Trent Lakes, which police say was being investigated as a parental abduction.

Officers caught up with the suspect near Lindsay, who in his attempt to flee police rammed a passing car before running down and critically injuring an OPP officer attempting to deploy a spike belt.

Once stopped, the accused — with his allegedly abducted one-year-old with him inside the pickup truck — exchanged gunfire with police.

OPP Consts. Nathan Vanderheyden, Kenneth Pengelly and Grayson Cappus have each been charged with one count of manslaughter and one count of criminal negligence causing death.

They are to appear in court in Lindsay, Ont. on Oct. 6.

The Ontario Provincial Police Association issued a statement on Wednesday.

“This incident is a tragic circumstance for all involved. We are fully supporting our members charged and our officers and civilian staff affected, with some still off work,” OPP Association president Rob Stinson said. “It has impacted many people, families, first responders, and our members. Every single day police officers make split second decisions that most will never have to make and wouldn’t want to make. This case is now before the courts. Everyone is entitled to due process. Our members have cooperated with the investigation in accordance with the law.”

https://torontosun.com/news/provincial/ ... e-shooting
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Three OPP officers charged with manslaughter in death of tod

Postby Thomas » Fri Sep 02, 2022 8:03 am

Three OPP officers charged with manslaughter in death of toddler in police shooting

The SIU said Ontario Provincial Police officers shot at the boy's father in his car after he allegedly abducted his child on Nov. 26, 2020

Three Ontario Provincial Police officers have been charged with manslaughter in the death of a one-year-old boy after a shooting in Kawartha Lakes, Ont., nearly two years ago, the province’s police watchdog said Wednesday.

The Special Investigations Unit announced Wednesday that OPP constables Nathan Vanderheyden, Kenneth Pengelly and Grason Cappus have each been charged with one count of manslaughter and one count of criminal negligence causing death in relation to death of 18-month-old Jameson Shapiro.

The SIU has said officers shot at the boy’s 33-year-old father in his car in Kawartha Lakes, Ont., after he allegedly abducted his child on Nov. 26, 2020.

Jameson died that day while his father died from his injuries in hospital nearly a week after the incident.

The SIU has said three police officers opened fire on the father’s pickup truck while Jameson was in the back seat after the truck crashed into a police cruiser, injuring an officer who was laying down a spike belt.

The agency has said evidence suggested police gunfire killed both the father and his child.

Police have said they found four guns at the scene, three belonging to the officers and one found near the father’s truck.

OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique extended sympathies to the family in a statement Wednesday, saying it is “devastating when an innocent life is lost during an incident.”

Carrique said the OPP would not comment further as the case works its way through court.

Rob Stinson, president of the Ontario Provincial Police Association — the union which represents nearly 10,000 members — said in a statement the “incident is a tragic circumstance for all involved.”

“We are fully supporting our members charged and our officers and civilian staff affected, with some still off work. It has impacted many people, families, first responders, and our members. Every single day police officers make split second decisions that most will never have to make and wouldn’t want to make,” he said.

“This case is now before the courts. Everyone is entitled to due process. Our members have cooperated with the investigation in accordance with the law.”

In January 2021, the SIU said the three officers who opened fire had not agreed to be interviewed, and were under no legal obligation to do so. At the time, the SIU had interviewed 18 police officers and 14 civilians as part of its investigation.

The SIU said Wednesday it would not comment further on the investigation, with the case before the court.

The probe was at one point put on hold while the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted ballistic testing.

The charged officers are set to appear in a Lindsay, Ont., court on October 6.

https://torontosun.com/news/canada/cp-n ... h-of-child
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OPP officers charged with manslaughter in fatal shooting of

Postby Thomas » Fri Sep 02, 2022 8:05 am

OPP officers charged with manslaughter in fatal shooting of baby in Kawartha Lakes

Three OPP officers each face one count of manslaughter and criminal negligence causing death in relation to the shooting of an 18-month-old boy in 2020, the SIU announced Wednesday

Three Ontario Provincial Police officers have been criminally charged with manslaughter after the fatal shootings of a toddler and his father in Kawartha Lakes in late 2020.

OPP Constables Nathan Vanderheyden, Kenneth Pengelly and Grayson Cappus each face one count of manslaughter and criminal negligence causing death in relation to the shooting of the boy, a Special Investigations Unit press release said Wednesday. No further details of the case have been released as it now moves to the courts, the Ontario police watchdog said.

The officers must appear at a Lindsay, Ont. courthouse in October.

The SIU has previously said three officers fired on the truck driven by the boy’s father on a rural road in Kawartha Lakes on the morning of Nov. 26, 2020 while attempting to stop the truck after reports of a father abducting his son.

Eighteen-month old Jameson Shapiro was killed by a single gunshot wound. The SIU has previously said he was shot by police.

His father, William Shapiro, 33, who is identified in a lawsuit related to the incident, was also shot by police, the SIU has said. There have been no charges laid related to his death.

The charges come after a nearly two-year investigation by the SIU, a high-profile probe that saw the watchdog take the exceedingly rare move of tapping the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to perform ballistic testing.

OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique said in a statement Wednesday that the service extends their “deepest sympathy” to the child’s family while saying they wouldn’t be commenting further on the case.

“Our mission is to protect our citizens, uphold the law and preserve public safety. When a tragedy such as this occurs, it affects the families, the community and our whole service. It is devastating when an innocent life is lost during an incident.”

The service declined to put the Star in touch with the charged officers.

Rob Stinson, president of the Ontario Provincial Police Association representing officers, said they are “fully supporting” the members.

“Every single day police officers make split-second decisions that most will never have to make and wouldn’t want to make,” the statement said. “This case is now before the courts. Everyone is entitled to due process. Our members have cooperated with the investigation in accordance with the law.”

The fatal police shooting of a baby — believed to be the first in the SIU’s 30-year history — happened shortly after police were called about a father abducting his son from the Municipality of Trent Lakes, near Bobcaygeon.

OPP officers tracked a pickup truck believed to be involved in the abduction nearly 50 kilometres away, in Kawartha Lakes. As police attempted to stop the truck, it instead slammed into another vehicle and an OPP officer who was on the road, attempting to lay down a spike belt, according to the SIU.

Following the crash, three OPP officers opened fire on the truck, the SIU said. The boy’s father, who was driving the truck, was shot and later airlifted to hospital, where he died a week after the shooting.

Jameson was found inside the truck, dead from a gunshot wound.

The SIU later confirmed Jameson was killed by a bullet fired by an OPP officer, ending weeks of uncertainty over who had shot the child. The SIU previously said a handgun was found inside the truck, leaving open the possibility Jameson was shot before police arrived.

But in the nearly two years since the fatal shooting, the SIU has issued few public updates about the case, prompting criticism that the police watchdog was taking too long on an investigation with significant public interest.

The SIU, meanwhile, defended its investigation as thorough, with a spokesperson saying the complex case has required “dozens of interviews and complex forensic examinations.”

The watchdog said last year that 19 witness officers and 14 civilian witnesses had been interviewed during the investigation.

As of Aug. 18, 2022, none of the three officers charged had agreed to be interviewed by the SIU. Police officers facing potential criminal charges have the Charter right not to incriminate themselves, meaning they are not required to speak to the SIU — though past directors of the SIU have acknowledged that it’s controversial to not be able to compel subject officers to provide information.

SIU spokesperson Kristy Denette told the Star in mid-August that the SIU had requested statements from the officers, but “none of the officers have to date stepped forward to provide a statement, as is their legal right.”

Daniel Brown, a criminal defence lawyer not involved with the case who agreed to discuss possible legal scenarios that have not been tested in court, said it’s not uncommon for multiple people to be charged for the same crime even, as it was in this case, where a single bullet killed the child.

Two possible scenarios for manslaughter and criminal negligence causing death charges involving multiple people could be that the SIU investigators believe all three officers fired recklessly but are not sure who fired the fatal shot or that they believe the other officers encouraged the shooter to open fire, making them equally responsible, Brown said.

As for the father, Brown said it may be the SIU determined it was a justifiable homicide because the man posed a serious threat to other road users or officers.

The shooting has also spawned a lawsuit filed in court in July by bystander Ronald Hill, who in a statement of claim names the estate of William Shapiro and the OPP. The claim alleges Shapiro was driving along the same stretch of road when OPP officers deployed tire spikes.

He claimed Shapiro “lost control” of his vehicle, hitting several OPP cars and “violently” colliding with his immobile Ford.

Then, Hill claimed, “gunshots were exchanged” between Shapiro and the officers before the driver was killed. Neither the OPP or SIU has confirmed any exchange of gunfire.

Hill is claiming damages for pain and suffering. None of the allegations have been tested in court and no statements of defence have been filed. A media spokesperson for the OPP would not comment on the suit or Shapiro’s identity with the investigation ongoing. The SIU would also not confirm Shapiro’s identity.

It is very rare for criminal charges to be laid against on-duty police officers.

A public SIU database tracks the status of cases from 2017.

Between 2017 and 2021, only 3.8 to 6.5 per cent of cases reported in each year resulted in charges, not including investigations the SIU terminated and did not make a finding. So far, of the cases reported to the SIU in 2022, 82 have been concluded and only two have resulted in charges.

https://www.thespec.com/ts/news/gta/202 ... ed_for_you
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Three OPP officers face manslaughter charges in November 202

Postby Thomas » Fri Sep 02, 2022 8:08 am

Three OPP officers face manslaughter charges in November 2020 shooting of infant in Kawartha Lakes

Nathan Vanderheyden, Kenneth Pengelly, and Grason Cappus have also been charged with criminal negligence causing death

Almost two years after the tragic shooting of 18-month-old Jameson Shapiro in Kawartha Lakes, Ontario’s police watchdog has announced manslaughter charges have been laid against three Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officers involved in the shooting.

A media release from the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) issued on Wednesday (August 31) states that SIU director Joseph Martino has “reasonable grounds” to believe the three OPP officers “committed criminal offences” in relation to the infant’s death, and “has caused charges to be laid against each of the officers.”

OPP constables Nathan Vanderheyden, Kenneth Pengelly, and Grason Cappus have each been charged with one count of manslaughter and one count of criminal negligence causing death.

On November 26, 2020, the OPP responded to a report of a domestic dispute near Bobcaygeon involving a firearm, and that a 33-year-old man had abducted his infant son. When they attempted to stop the man’s pick-up truck on Pigeon Lake Road east of Lindsay, it collided with another vehicle and seriously injured an OPP officer.

Police confronted the driver and three officers fired shots at the pick-up truck, injuring the man. The body of the infant was later found in the pick-up truck, along with a handgun. The boy’s father succumbed to his injuries almost one week later.

After an initial investigation and months of speculation, the SIU confirmed in February 2021 the infant had died as a result of being shot by police.

At that time, SIU spokesperson Monica Hudon wrote in an email that the three officers involved in the shooting had “not as yet availed themselves of an opportunity to be interviewed.”

In August 2021, the SIU announced the investigation was “in a hold pattern” awaiting the results of specialized forensic testing of some of the ballistic evidence by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the U.S. In November 2021, the SIU announced it was reviewing the FBI’s forensic report and was continuing “to actively investigate this tragic case.” Over the following nine months, the SIU provided no further public updates on the investigation.

In response to the SIU’s announcement of charges, OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique issued the following statement:

“On November 26, 2020, a family suffered the tremendous loss of their child, and the Ontario Provincial Police extends to them our deepest sympathies. Our mission is to protect our citizens, uphold the law and preserve public safety. When a tragedy such as this occurs, it affects the families, the community and our whole service. It is devastating when an innocent life is lost during an incident.’

“We thank members of the public who awaited the findings of the SIU, rather than speculating on what occurred. We respect the mandate and responsibilities of the SIU and will not comment further as this matter proceeds through the appropriate court processes.”

Rob Stinson, president of the Barrie-based Ontario Provincial Police Association, also issued a statement in response to the announcement of charges:

“This incident is a tragic circumstance for all involved. We are fully supporting our members charged and our officers and civilian staff affected, with some still off work. It has impacted many people, families, first responders, and our members. Every single day police officers make split second decisions that most will never have to make and wouldn’t want to make. This case is now before the courts. Everyone is entitled to due process. Our members have cooperated with the investigation in accordance with the law.”

https://kawarthanow.com/2022/08/31/thre ... tha-lakes/
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Three Canadian police officers have been charged in the shoo

Postby Thomas » Fri Sep 02, 2022 8:09 am

Three Canadian police officers have been charged in the shooting death of an 18-month-old child in November 2020.

The charges were announced following a nearly two year investigation by Ontario police watchdog, the Special Investigation Unit (SIU).

The boy, Jameson Shapiro, was killed when police shot at the truck driven by his father following a report of a parental abduction.

The police union say they are "fully supporting" the three officers.

Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) constables Nathan Vanderheyden, Kenneth Pengelly and Grayson Cappus each face a single count of manslaughter and criminal negligence causing death in relation to Jameson's shooting, the SIU announced on Wednesday evening.

They are scheduled to appear in court on 6 October.

The incident took place on the morning of 26 November 2020 after police received a call claiming the boy's 33-year-old father had abducted him from his home in Trent Lakes, Ontario, a town about 170km (105 miles) northeast of Toronto.

OPP officers spotted the pickup truck being driven by Jameson's father in nearby Kawartha Lakes. During an attempt to stop the truck there was a collision and one police officer was seriously injured.

An "interaction" with the father followed, according to the SIU, and the three police officers opened fire.

The father was shot and later died in hospital. Jameson, who was in the pickup, was also shot and died at the scene. The SIU said in February 2021 that forensic evidence indicated that the boy was shot by police.

The SIU has said four weapons were recovered from the scene during its investigation - three police firearms and one handgun from the pickup.

In a statement, the union representing the three officers called the incident "a tragic circumstance for all involved".

"Every single day police officers make split second decisions that most will never have to make and wouldn't want to make," said OPP Association president Rob Stinson.

"This case is now before the courts. Everyone is entitled to due process."

OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique said in a statement that it is "devastating when an innocent life is lost during an incident" and said the force would not comment further as the case is before the courts.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-62690172
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