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.

Officers were told toddler was in truck before fatal Kawarth

Postby Thomas » Fri Sep 02, 2022 8:11 am

Officers were told toddler was in truck before fatal Kawartha Lakes shooting, audio reveals

OPP 'aware' of audio posted online, says evidence to be put before the courts

Audio from the deadly police shooting of a father and toddler in Kawartha Lakes, Ont., is casting new light on the moments before police opened fire and what they might have known heading into the encounter.

The recording of police radio chatter shows officers were told there was a child in the truck they were pursuing through the mostly rural community on Nov. 26, 2020, and that, according to one officer, the driver had put a gun to his own head.

The pursuit sprang from a reported child abduction earlier that day and ended with the fatal shooting of both 18-month-old Jameson Shapiro and his 33-year-old father, and left an Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officer seriously injured.

Ontario's police watchdog said Wednesday three officers have been charged in the shooting — with one count each of manslaughter and criminal negligence causing death — in the child's death.

The audio was recorded by Shawn Salo, a freelance journalist who runs the site Peterborough Scanner Feed, which posts the radio communications of emergency services in the community northeast of Toronto.

"I hope by releasing this recording it helps you understand the situation a little better," Salo wrote upon posting the 12-minute recording to YouTube.

CBC News is not running the video in its entirety as some may find it disturbing.

'He's pretty desperate'

The recording begins with officers looking for the father and his rust-coloured Toyota Tundra.

Early on, a female voice, who appears to be the dispatcher, alerts officers that there is a child in the truck.

"Units be advised there's a child in that vehicle. There's a child in that vehicle," she says.

Moments later, an officer following the truck warns another who is awaiting it: "He's pretty desperate … he had a gun to his head."

"I've got a negotiator on standby," the female says.

About a minute later, police are heard requesting a canine unit and a helicopter.

The pursuit continues along Pigeon Lake Road — with the driver maintaining about 170 kilometres per hour, according to officers — when they are told to "back off" and give the suspect vehicle space. Police at this point seem to be guiding the vehicle toward a spike belt.

Seconds later, a loud crash is heard followed by moaning.

Another person is heard yelling, "Drop it!" before gunfire — approximately seven shots.

"Shots fired, shots fired! Officer down!" one officer is heard yelling.

That's followed by another set of loud bangs — it's unclear if they're gunfire — followed by silence for several moments. The next two minutes is mostly silence and garbled audio.

Around the 8:25 mark, someone is heard calling for paramedics.

"An ambulance is en route," the dispatcher advises.

Officers opened fire

CBC Toronto attempted to independently verify the recording, sharing it with OPP.

OPP spokesperson Bill Dickson confirmed the force is "aware that the dispatch audio is online."

"It would be inappropriate for me to provide any information regarding the injuries suffered by our member. All of the details will be part of the evidence presented in court," Dickson said in an email.

The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) has previously said officers had been trying to intercept the father's truck when it crashed into an OPP cruiser and 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 previously said, but provided no further detail.

Three officers then opened fire, striking the boy inside the truck and his father, according to the SIU.

The boy was pronounced dead at the scene. His father was taken to hospital and died of his injuries about a week later. He has yet to be officially named by the SIU.

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

The SIU said last year it had interviewed 18 police officers and 14 civilians as part of its investigation.

It said Thursday it would not comment further on the case, given it is now before the courts.

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

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ ... -1.6569834
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3 OPP officers charged with manslaughter in toddler's shooti

Postby Thomas » Fri Sep 02, 2022 8:12 am

3 OPP officers charged with manslaughter in toddler's shooting death

SIU had said evidence suggested that police gunfire killed boy, father in 2020 shooting

Ontario's police watchdog says it has charged three officers in the shooting death of a one-year-old boy.

The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) had been investigating after it said Ontario Provincial Police officers shot at the boy's father in his car in Kawartha Lakes, Ont., after he allegedly abducted his child on Nov. 26, 2020.

The child, identified by the SIU as 18-month-old Jameson Shapiro, died that day, while the father died of gunshot wounds about a week later.

The SIU says three 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 the boy's death.

The agency had previously said evidence suggested police gunfire killed both the boy and his father.

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 the courts.

'A tragic circumstance'

Rob Stinson, president of the Ontario Provincial Police Association — the union that represents nearly 10,000 OPP 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," the statement continues.

"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," Stinson wrote.

"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 of 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 court in Lindsay, Ont., on Oct. 6.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ ... -1.6568644

https://www.wiartonecho.com/news/nation ... e-shooting
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WARMINGTON: Tragedy for Baby Jameson's family and for three

Postby Thomas » Fri Sep 02, 2022 8:14 am

WARMINGTON: Tragedy for Baby Jameson's family and for three officers charged in his death

An attempt to get justice for Jameson?

Or an effort to lay blame on the police officers who tried to save the baby from extreme danger?

The debate has begun — and so soon will criminal proceedings.

“Shocked, traumatized, and forever impacted” are the words being used to describe the reaction of three Ontario Provincial Police officers charged in the shooting death of the 18-month-old boy.

Needless to say, when the SIU came out with the decision Wednesday to charge three OPP officers, the policing world was stunned and concerned about what this could mean for every cop. The media coverage surrounding Const.’s Nathan Vanderheyden, Kenneth Pengelly and Grayson Cappus facing manslaughter and criminal negligence causing death omitted important details we report here today.

There is nothing routine about this story — or about any police call.

“No police officer goes to work wanting to harm a child,” Ontario Provincial Police Association President Rob Stinson said Thursday. “Every single day police officers make split-second decisions that most will never have to make and wouldn’t want to make.”

“We will support our charged officers to rigorously defend themselves in court,” he added.

Who is mostly responsible for Jameson Shapiro’s death is what is at the heart of a blockbuster case.

The boy’s armed-with-a-gun father, William Shapiro, 33, who was fatally shot by police Nov. 26, 2020, after abducting him and running over and a cop who has since underwent eight surgeries and suffered life-altering injuries during his attempt to flee police?

Or the three responding officers who ultimately used lethal force that sadly resulted in both the father and the abducted baby’s deaths?

The courts will decide.

But as the evidence is presented, this is not like in the United States where four officers faced proceedings for kneeling on a man over a minor infraction as we saw in the George Floyd murder. This was officers in pursuit of an armed man who had abducted a child.

“The incident began with a call for service from a frantic mother alleging a serious criminal offence of abduction of her son,” said Stinson. “Our officers were dealing with a man in a vehicle with a gun, and his abducted son.”

“The man was driving dangerously through multiple jurisdictions, and police were in a long pursuit, doing everything they could to safely apprehend the man,” he explained.

After crashing his truck, shots were fired.

The SIU recovered the three police guns and one handgun found in the suspect’s truck where the baby was shot and killed. It was devastating to the mother, Tara Shapiro — described on a GoFundMe page that has collected $67,000 as a “single mother who has raised her two autistic boys and is now mourning the loss of her youngest Jameson.”

It describes Jameson as “a bubbly boy who was known for sharing his warmth and cheerfulness with everyone around him. His smile will be remembered by all who experienced it.”

Sources close to these three officers say all involved are shattered.

“Our police officers, communications operators and all of our support staff, as well as their families, have been traumatized by this event,” said Stinson. “We have empathy for the death of the child, his mother and their family.”

But manslaughter and criminal negligence causing death charges that could see the officers do prison time if found guilty? It is not something anybody in law enforcement was expecting at all — let alone to be assigned to all three.

“It’s going to be fascinating to see how the Crown is going to show how all three officer’s bullets killed Jameson,” said a retired, senior OPP officer. “I have never heard of such a thing before.”

None of the charges or defences have been tested. That is what court is for. But no one should forget the human aspect.

“Now that the SIU investigation is complete and charges have been laid, our members are shocked and further traumatized, and their lives and the lives of their families will be forever impacted,” said Stinson.

Appearing in Kawartha Lakes courts in October, they know the years ahead are going to be hell for a mother of a baby and the three cops the SIU allege are responsible for his death.

https://torontosun.com/news/local-news/ ... -his-death
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OPP ASSOCIATION SUPPORTS OUR MEMBERS IN CITY OF KAWARTHA LAK

Postby Thomas » Fri Sep 02, 2022 8:19 am

OPP ASSOCIATION SUPPORTS OUR MEMBERS IN CITY OF KAWARTHA LAKES TRAGEDY

BARRIE, ON, Aug. 31, 2022 /CNW/ - The Special Investigations Unit has announced that OPP Association members, OPP Provincial Constables Ken Pengelly, Grayson Cappus and Nathan Vanderheyden have been charged with 1 count each of Criminal Negligence Causing Death and Manslaughter. The charges are relating to a November 26, 2020 incident where a 1 year old child died in an interaction with Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officers in the City of Kawartha Lakes.

The following is a statement from Rob Stinson, President of the OPP Association:

"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."

About the Ontario Provincial Police Association
Headquartered in Barrie, the Ontario Provincial Police Association (OPPA) acts as the bargaining agent for its nearly 10,000 Uniform and Civilian members. Of equal importance, the OPPA serves as the voice of its members in advocating for improved health and safety standards and better supports for members suffering from operational stress injuries.

SOURCE Ontario Provincial Police Association

For further information: Scott Mills - OPPA Strategic Communications Coordinator, cell: 647-449-2801, Email: Communications@oppa.ca

https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/o ... 54142.html
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‘There’s a child in that vehicle’: Audio adds new detail to

Postby Thomas » Fri Sep 16, 2022 5:06 am

‘There’s a child in that vehicle’: Audio adds new detail to Ontario police shooting

Officers involved in a police shooting that left a one-year-old dead in southern Ontario were told there was a child in the pickup truck they were pursuing and that the driver of the vehicle had a gun, audio posted online indicates.

Three Ontario Provincial Police officers were charged with manslaughter this week in the death of 18-month-old Jameson Shapiro after the shooting in Kawartha Lakes, Ont., nearly two years ago.

A site known as Peterborough Scanner Feed, which publishes articles based on police information, has since posted audio online of what it says is police radio communications on Nov. 26, 2020 after a father had allegedly abducted his young son.

On the YouTube page with a 12 minute audio recording, Peterborough Scanner Feed said it hopes releasing the audio helps listeners “understand the situation a little better.”

The audio adds new details to the sequence of events made public by Ontario’s police watchdog, which investigated what happened and laid the charges against the officers.

As police are pursuing the father’s pickup truck, a woman who appears to be a dispatcher can be heard telling officers of a child’s presence.

“Units just be advised there’s a child in that vehicle, there’s a child in the vehicle,” she can be heard saying.

Not long after that, someone says the driver of the vehicle was seen holding a gun to his head.

“He’s pretty desperate, he had a gun to his head,” someone can be heard saying.

A dispatcher later says police are working on getting the man’s cellphone and have a negotiator on standby to contact him.

The pursuit can be heard continuing for a few minutes until a series of loud bangs are heard.

“Shots fired, shots fired, officer down, officer down,” someone can then be heard saying as more bangs are heard and a series of apparent groans can be heard on the feed.

Someone can be heard asking for medical help and a dispatcher can be heard saying an ambulance is en route.

“We have a child that’s VSA, an officer that’s down,” she says at one point.

The Special Investigations Unit has said three 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.

Jameson died that day while his father died from his injuries in hospital nearly a week later. The SIU has said evidence suggested police gunfire killed both the father and his child.

OPP spokesman Bill Dickson said Friday that the force “is aware that the dispatch audio has been posted online.”

“This audio will almost certainly be part of the evidence presented in court, therefore so we would not be able to elaborate on any of the details,” he wrote in a statement.

The OPP Association, which represents nearly 10,000 members, said the officers involved in the case were “doing all they could” to apprehend the father who had allegedly abducted his child.

“Our officers were dealing with a man with a gun in a vehicle with his abducted son,” association president Rob Stinson wrote in a statement on Friday. “No police officer goes to work wanting to harm a child.”

Stinson said officers and other staff have been “traumatized” by what happened.

He also said the officer who was hit on that day was very seriously injured, has gone through eight surgeries and is still off work.

“His life has been forever altered. The good news is the officer is recovering as best he can and hopes to return to work,” Stinson wrote.

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 Jameson’s death.

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

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 2, 2022.

https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/202 ... tar_canada

https://barrie.ctvnews.ca/there-s-a-chi ... -1.6053767
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‘There’s a child in that vehicle’: Audio adds new detail to

Postby Thomas » Fri Sep 16, 2022 5:14 am

‘There’s a child in that vehicle’: Audio adds new detail to OPP shooting in Kawartha Lakes

City of Kawartha Lakes OPP officers involved in a police shooting that left a one-year-old dead in southern Ontario were told there was a child in the pickup truck they were pursuing and that the driver of the vehicle had a gun, audio posted online indicates.

Three Ontario Provincial Police officers were charged with manslaughter this week in the death of 18-month-old Jameson Shapiro after the shooting in Kawartha Lakes, Ont., nearly two years ago.

A site known as Peterborough Scanner Feed, which publishes articles based on police information, has since posted audio online of what it says is police radio communications on Nov. 26, 2020 after a father had allegedly abducted his young son.

On the YouTube page with a 12-minute audio recording, Peterborough Scanner Feed said it hopes releasing the audio helps listeners “understand the situation a little better.”

The audio adds new details to the sequence of events made public by the Special Investigations Unit, Ontario’s police watchdog, which investigated what happened and laid the charges against the officers.

As police are pursuing the father’s pickup truck, a woman who appears to be a dispatcher can be heard telling officers of a child’s presence.

“Units just be advised there’s a child in that vehicle, there’s a child in the vehicle,” she can be heard saying.

Not long after that, someone says the driver of the vehicle was seen holding a gun to his head.

“He’s pretty desperate, he had a gun to his head,” someone can be heard saying.

A dispatcher later says police are working on getting the man’s cellphone and have a negotiator on standby to contact him.

The pursuit can be heard continuing for a few minutes until a series of loud bangs are heard.

“Shots fired, shots fired, officer down, officer down,” someone can then be heard saying as more bangs are heard and a series of apparent groans can be heard on the feed.

Someone can be heard asking for medical help and a dispatcher can be heard saying an ambulance is en route.

“We have a child that’s VSA, an officer that’s down,” she says at one point.

The Special Investigations Unit has said three 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.

Jameson died that day while his father died from his injuries in hospital nearly a week later. The SIU has said evidence suggested police gunfire killed both the father and his child.

OPP spokesman Bill Dickson said Friday that the force “is aware that the dispatch audio has been posted online.”

“This audio will almost certainly be part of the evidence presented in court, therefore so we would not be able to elaborate on any of the details,” he wrote in a statement.

The OPP Association, which represents nearly 10,000 members, said the officers involved in the case were “doing all they could” to apprehend the father who had allegedly abducted his child.

“Our officers were dealing with a man with a gun in a vehicle with his abducted son,” association president Rob Stinson wrote in a statement on Friday. “No police officer goes to work wanting to harm a child.”

Stinson said officers and other staff have been “traumatized” by what happened.

He also said the officer who was hit on that day was very seriously injured, has gone through eight surgeries and is still off work.

“His life has been forever altered. The good news is the officer is recovering as best he can and hopes to return to work,” Stinson wrote.

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 Jameson’s death.

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

https://globalnews.ca/news/9103301/audi ... -shooting/

https://barrie.ctvnews.ca/there-s-a-chi ... -1.6053767
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Audio reveals Ontario police knew child was present before f

Postby Thomas » Fri Sep 16, 2022 5:17 am

Audio reveals Ontario police knew child was present before fatal shooting in 2020

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2zR4Hx1SeM
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OPP officers charged with manslaughter in fatal shooting of

Postby Thomas » Fri Sep 16, 2022 5:30 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.thestar.com/news/gta/2022/0 ... lakes.html
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Justice delayed and distorted: Ontario police officers charg

Postby Thomas » Mon Sep 19, 2022 5:17 pm

Justice delayed and distorted: Ontario police officers charged for killing 18-month old Jameson Shapiro

On November 26, 2020, Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officers shot and killed 18-month-old Jameson Shapiro and his father, William Shapiro (33) in the city of Kawartha Lakes. After almost two years of silence regarding the killings, the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) in Ontario finally announced charges against three of the police officers involved.

OPP Constables Nathan Vanderheyden, Kenneth Pengelly, and Grason Cappus have each been charged with one count of manslaughter, contrary to s. 236(a) of the Criminal Code, and with one count of criminal negligence causing death, contrary to s. 220(a) of the Criminal Code. Those charges are all related to the killing of Jameson Shapiro. No charges have been brought for killing the child’s father.

The delay in bringing charges, the lack of information, and the insinuation the father killed the child—hanging over almost two years—raises numerous questions about policing and oversight, particularly in contexts where police kill those they claim to be protecting. It also provides police a number of beneficial opportunities in managing public relations.

The killings

Initial reports suggested, but did not confirm, that Ontario Provincial Police officers shot and killed a one-year-old boy in the morning of November 26, 2020. The Special Investigations Unit reported at the time that three OPP officers fired at a pickup truck on Pigeon Lake Road in the City of Kawartha Lakes in an attempt to stop the vehicle. The driver, later identified as William Shapiro, was struck, and the vehicle crashed. The one-year-old boy, who was not initially identified, was found inside the truck. He had suffered a gunshot wound and was pronounced dead at the scene. William Shapiro was transported to hospital “in grave condition” but died there.

Of crucial importance is the fact that police had reason to know that an infant would be in the vehicle when they opened fire, because they were responding to an alleged parental abduction. From the start, however, information was delayed in reporting of these events.

Since the charges have been laid, it has been confirmed that officers were told by a dispatcher that there was a child in the pickup truck they were pursuing. A site called Peterborough Scanner Feed, posted audio online of police radio communications in which a dispatcher says, “Units just be advised there’s a child in that vehicle, there’s a child in the vehicle.”

Initial public reports were framed in such a way as to hint at the father having killed his son. According to the SIU, an altercation occurred between the father and the officers. Early on there should have been clarity about which weapons were fired and struck the victims, the directionality of shots fired, and whether a non-police weapon found on scene had been fired at all. Yet, the lack of information continued. Even more, a pro-police sentiment was expressed in early news stories that focused on an officer who was allegedly struck by the vehicle that was fired upon by police.

All this disinformation is not accidental, but follow a familiar playbook which we’ve seen this before.

Pro-police playbook

In the early morning of July 18, 2015, Surrey RCMP killed twenty-year-old Hudson Brooks outside the force’s South Surrey detachment. The RCMP initially intimated in media reports that there had been a shootout between Brooks and the RCMP, resulting in a gunshot wound to one officer. Later police tried to claim that Brooks was suicidal, as if this would legitimize their killing him.

In March 2017 police audio of the killing of Hudson Brooks was posted on YouTube. It confirmed that the RCMP officer who was shot during the encounter actually shot herself. In the audio a woman’s voice can be heard saying, “I shot myself.” It was later revealed that Brooks was shot and killed by RCMP constable Elizabeth Cucheran.

On March 29, 2019, RCMP officers shot and killed Nona McEwan and Randy Crosson in a home in Surrey. Police described the killings as occurring during a “hostage taking” and for more than a month publicly implied that Randy Crosson had killed Nona McEwan.

When asked directly in 2019 if police might have killed McEwan, the Surrey Now-Leader reported that Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) spokesperson corporal Frank Jang replied: “No, I mean that’s part of the investigation but because there was two deaths, one believed to be a police-involved shooting, one is not, the two agencies are simultaneously involved. There’s two separate investigations happening.”

For more than a month police posed Crosson as potentially the killer. But they knew this to be impossible since no non-police weapons were present at the scene.

Justice (and information) delayed serves the police

The delay in confirming publicly, what must have been known fairly early in the investigation, serves multiple purposes which are beneficial for police forces when they kill. First, it allows them to deflect blame, often onto the victim (or other victims killed at the same time) themselves. It allows police to create a public narrative that someone else did the killing and posed an active threat to police, such as the father in the present case. This can deflect criticism of the police force, and even allow them to propagate narratives that they stopped an active threat to the public.

Second, it creates a space of time for the public to forget about the killing or to lose track of the facts in the case. This can blunt or disperse public anger and outrage. It also defuses possible public mobilizations against police over the killing. Thirdly, it keeps the public from knowing who the specific killer cops in their neighborhood are.

Another benefit for police, especially the cops who kill, is that they get to keep getting paid. Journalist Nora Loreto reported in a twitter thread how much pay the three killer cops had received since the killings. Based on the Sunshine List, which publicly list all public sector pay over $100,000 in Ontario, Loreto found that Nathan Vanderhayden received $276,527 combined salary for 2020 and 2021. He has been on the Sunshine List since 2016. Kenneth Pengelly received $237,260 in combined salary for 2020 and 2021. He has been on the Sunshine List since 2012. Grayson Cappus received $223,481 in combined salary for 2020 and 2021. He has been on the Sunshine List since 2013.

Throughout the period since this double killing, the OPP police association has emphasized its support not the victims but the killers. Rob Stinson, the president of the Ontario Provincial Police Association released a statement saying “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.”

No accountability

Police control the flow of information when they kill. They are often the only ones at the scene, other than the person they have killed. Police are also able to control the scene before anyone else, including oversight investigators arrive. This means they can arrange, remove, or replace evidence. We have seen this before in cases that eventually gained notoriety. Police who kill, witness officers, and their forces, often obstruct investigations or simply refuse to cooperate. In Vancouver, the IIO had to take legal action against the Vancouver Police Department for refusing to turn over requested materials in the killing of Myles Gray.

Not surprisingly, this is exactly what happened in this double killing. In January of 2021, the SIU reported that the three officers who opened fire did not agree to be interviewed and furthermore were under no legal obligation to do so.

This is one reason that community investigations into police killings can be so important. Residents in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver have done exactly this onerous work in the aftermath of the Vancouver police killing of Chris Amyotte, an Ojibwa man, on August 22.

Finally, it must be said that there can be no police accountability as communities need and want it within the current system. Capital and its state protectors require police. They require police to kill and have empowered them precisely to do so. Accountability is a matter of addressing instances where the police have acted in a way that cannot be brushed off by usual public relations mechanisms. Like when they kill a toddler.

https://springmag.ca/justice-delayed-an ... on-shapiro
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Three City Of Kawartha Lakes OPP Officers Charged In Death O

Postby Thomas » Mon Oct 10, 2022 6:30 am

Three City Of Kawartha Lakes OPP Officers Charged In Death Of Toddler Have First Court Date In Lindsay

KAWARTHA LAKES-Three OPP officers charged in the death of a toddler near Lindsay had their first court date on Thursday.

The Special Investigations Unit was called in to investigate after the father allegedly abducted his child on November 26,2020 leading to a high-speed chase through the rural roads in Kawartha Lakes.

At approximately 8:45 a.m. the OPP responded to the abduction of a child by his father in the Municipality of Trent Lakes. The OPP located a vehicle of interest in the City of Kawartha Lakes on Sturgeon Road a short time later. Officers attempted to stop the truck with the father and child inside. The truck became involved in a collision with an OPP cruiser and a civilian vehicle on Pigeon Lake Road. At that time, an OPP officer was standing outside of the cruiser and he sustained serious injuries. There was an interaction between the 33-year-old father and officers, and three officers discharged their firearms. Both the father and son were shot and died of their injuries.

The SIU said its investigation revealed it was OPP bullets that killed both father and son.

The child, identified by the SIU as 18-month-old Jameson Shapiro, died that day, while the father died of gunshot wounds about a week later.

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 the boy’s death. Read more here: https://www.kawartha411.ca/2022/08/31/t ... mber-2020/

They are being represented in court by Joseph Markson. Markson has represented a number of police officers and is considered an expert in these types of cases.

We have reached out to Markson for comment but have not yet heard back.

None of the officers were in court Thursday and the case was put over to November 17th.

https://www.kawartha411.ca/2022/10/07/t ... n-lindsay/
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Manslaughter case against 3 Kawartha Lakes OPP officers accu

Postby Thomas » Tue Nov 29, 2022 2:58 pm

Manslaughter case against 3 Kawartha Lakes OPP officers accused in shooting death of young boy adjourned to next year

OPP Constables Nathan Vanderheyden, Kenneth Pengelly and Grayson Cappus are charged in connection to the shooting death of 18-month-old Jameson Shapiro in November 2020
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All Members CKL and Peterborough Detachments

Postby Thomas » Fri Jan 06, 2023 7:55 am

Commissioner wanted you to receive messaging ahead of our internal and external messaging on the developments in this case.

I am aware that many of you have heard about developments from other members, but I think the organizational information is important.

Please know that Detachment, Healthy Workplace Team, OPPA and Regional Command are here at both detachments to ensure the continuity of detachment operations and to support all members of the detachment.

Dr. Lee, Linda Burrell and other members of the Healthy Workplace Team have secured space at the Days Inn on Angeline St. Lindsay, to support everyone.

Today- 1400-2100 hrs

Thursday 01 Sept 2022- 0900-2100 hrs

Friday 02 Sept 2022- 0900—2100 hrs

Resources from the Healthy Workplace Team will continue to be available for anyone that requires their support, and they can be reached 24/7 at 1-844-677-9409.

Dr. Vivien Lee- 705-323-2271 and Linda Burrell- 705-933-9338 can be reached via a call or text.

Members are also encouraged to reach out to the Encompass Mental Health Wellness Program for additional supports. They can be reached at encompascare.ca, info@encompascare.ca, or at 1-866-794-9117—24/7.

Below is the internal messaging that will be shared with all OPP across the province shortly. External messaging will be shared with the public as well.

SIU Investigation – Kawartha Lakes/Lindsay – Release of Decision
Today, the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) released its decision with respect to the police-involved shooting in Lindsay in November 2020.

The SIU has laid charges of manslaughter and criminal negligence causing death against three of our members who were involved in this incident. The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) respects the mandate and responsibilities of the SIU, and while I do not communicate about every SIU finding, I know this decision will greatly impact our members.

On November 26, 2020, a family suffered the loss of their child, and we continue to offer to them our deepest sympathies. It is devastating when an innocent life is lost during an incident. 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 members.

Our members who are involved in a tragic incident, such as this one, face an enormous amount of stress and a wide spectrum of emotions. News of this decision may bring up a range of reactions for all of our members and families, whether or not you were directly involved. Confidential support services are available to all members, families, retirees, and auxiliaries through our Healthy Workplace Team (available by phone 24/7, toll-free at

1-844-OPP-6409 (1-844-677-9409)).

Let’s continue to utilize supports available to us and most of all continue to support each other.

Thank you everyone.

Dwight Peer I Chief Superintendent I Commander – Central Region I Ontario Provincial Police I

1 Hurtubise Drive, Orillia, ON L3V 0C8 I mobile: 705.826.4500 desk: 705.330.3710

Dwight.peer@opp.ca

OPP members can access the Healthy Workplace Team 24/7 at 1-844-OPP-9409 (1-844-677-9409)
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Hearing scheduled for 3 Kawartha Lakes OPP officers charged

Postby Thomas » Fri May 19, 2023 7:37 am

Hearing scheduled for 3 Kawartha Lakes OPP officers charged with manslaughter in connection to toddler's shooting death

A 10-day preliminary hearing is slated to start in December to determine if there's enough evidence to take officers to trial

A hearing will take place later this year to determine if there’s enough evidence to commit three Kawartha Lakes OPP officers to stand trial in connection to the shooting death of 18-month-old Jameson Shapiro.

According to court documents, 10 preliminary hearing dates were set for OPP Constables Nathan Vanderheyden, Kenneth Pengelly and Grayson Cappus in the Ontario Court of Justice in Lindsay on Friday, May 12.

The hearing is scheduled for five days in the Ontario Court of Justice in Oshawa from Dec. 11 to 15, 2023 and again in Oshawa from Jan. 8 to 12, 2024.

The hearing is scheduled for five days in the Ontario Court of Justice in Oshawa from Dec. 11 to 15, 2023 and again in Oshawa from Jan. 8 to 12, 2024.

The hearing is a mini trial to determine if there’s enough evidence to commit the accused on the two charges.

Back in February 2021, the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) confirmed that it was OPP gunfire that killed both Shapiro and his 33-year-old father, who died of his injuries later in hospital, after a pursuit in relation to a report of a father who allegedly used a firearm to abduct a child.

The pursuit started in the area of Fire Route 111 in Trent Lakes, northwest of Bobcaygeon, around 8:45 a.m., and ended on Pigeon Lake Road, between Lilac Road and Settlers Road, when the suspect vehicle slammed into a police roadblock.

An OPP officer, who had been outside a cruiser laying down a spike belt to halt the pickup truck, was seriously injured after the truck struck a cruiser at the roadblock.

There was an interaction with police after the collision and three OPP officers shot multiple times at the vehicle, the SIU reported.

Further, the SIU stated a handgun was found inside the pickup truck after the shooting.

https://www.yorkregion.com/news/crime/h ... 27c77.html
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Hearing begins for 3 Kawartha Lakes OPP officers charged wit

Postby Thomas » Sat Dec 16, 2023 3:25 pm

Hearing begins for 3 Kawartha Lakes OPP officers charged with manslaughter in connection to toddler's shooting death

A 10-day preliminary will determine if there's enough evidence for the officers to stand trial

A 10-day preliminary hearing examining the evidence in the case against three Ontario Provincial (OPP) officers charged with manslaughter in connection to an 18-month-old’s shooting death began in an Oshawa courtroom on Monday.

The hearing is scheduled in front of Justice Paul Bellefontaine for five days in the Ontario Court of Justice in Oshawa from Dec. 11 to 15 and again in Oshawa from Jan. 8 to 12, 2024.

https://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com ... 7cd90.html
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