Cornwall Ontario Area Police Blotter for Wednesday July 24, 2013 – OPP SIU Toronto Shooting Death Investigation

DOMESTIC ASSAULT

Cornwall, ON – A 24-year-old Cornwall female was arrested and charged with assault on the 23^rd July, 2013. It is alleged while at a local business a female was involved in an argument with her 30-year-old ex-boyfriend when she struck him. Police were called and an investigation followed. She was subsequently taken into custody and charged accordingly.  She was later released to appear in court. Her name was not released as it would identify the victim in the incident.

DOMESTIC ASSAULT & MISCHIEF

Cornwall, ON-A 40-year-old Cornwall man was arrested and charged with two counts of Assault and one count of Mischief on the 23^rd of July, 2013. It is alleged that the man was at his girlfriend’s residence when a verbal argument took place. In the course of the argument he punched his girlfriend and pushed her. The man then damaged her cellular phone. Police were contacted and an investigation ensued. During their investigation they took the man into custody and brought him to police headquarters where he was held for a bail hearing on the 24^th of July, 2013. His name was not released as it would identify the victim.

 

DOMESTIC MISCHIEF

 

            Cornwall, ON- A 42-year-old Cornwall, ON male was arrested on July 24^th, 2013. It is alleged that on the 24^th of July, 2013 a verbal argument ensued between him and his 45-year-old common law spouse. During the argument the man damaged a wall in the residence. Police were contacted and began an investigation. During their investigation they charged the man with Mischief. He was taken to police headquarters and held for a bail hearing.  His name was not released as it would identify the victim.

ASSAULT, DANGEROUS DRIVING AND THREATS

            Cornwall, ON-Jonah Lapierre, 26 and Joshua Lafrance, 26 both of Cornwall were arrested on the 23^rd of July, 2013. It is alleged that on the 23^rd of July 2013 while at the Cornwall Square parking Lapierre punched a 28-year-old man. Later that day Lapierre and Lafrance were involved in a second confrontation when the victim returned to his residence. Upon noticing the two, the man fled the area in his vehicle. The two males then followed and struck his vehicle with theirs and uttered threats to the man. Police were contacted and an investigation ensued. During their investigation they located Lafrance at his residence and charged him with Assault, Dangerous Driving and Threats. Lapierre attended police headquarters to deal with the matter and he was charged with Threats. Both males were released to appear in court at a later date.

THEFT UNDER, BREACH

 

            Cornwall, ON- Marisa Lupien, 35 of Cornwall was arrested on the 22^nd of July, 2013. It is alleged that on the 22^nd of July, 2013 she attended a Montreal Street residence and removed some money. Police were contacted and an investigation ensued. During their investigation she was spotted by a member of the Cornwall Community Police walking eastbound on Montreal Road she was taken into custody and charged accordingly. She was then released with a court date of the 27^th of August, 2013.

From the OPP;

DRUG OFFENCE

(North Dundas) – On July 23, 2013 at approximately 9:15pm, SD&G OPP officers responded to a report of a suspicious vehicle in a parking lot of a property on County Road 31, North Dundas Township (Winchester area). Police identified and located the driver which resulted in the seizure of a quantity of suspected cocaine.

Christopher LAGRAVE (38) of Augusta Township ON was arrested and is charged with;

– Possession of a Controlled Substance
– Fail to Comply with Undertaking

He was released and scheduled to appear in Morrisburg court on September 03, 2013.

 

FIRE

(South Dundas) – On July 23, 2013 at approximately 5:00pm, SD&G OPP officers responded to a report of a house fire on County Road 18, South Dundas Township. South Dundas Fire Department attended the scene to tend to the fire which gutted the interior of the home. No injuries resulted and the cause was deemed as non-suspicious. SD&G OPP officers provided traffic control.

From SIU;

SIU Investigates Motor Vehicle Injury in Scarborough

Case Number: 13-PVI-173

Mississauga (23 July, 2013) — Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU) is probing the circumstances surrounding the injury sustained by a 23-year-old male in Scarborough last night.

Preliminary information indicates the following:
• At approximately 11:45 p.m. on Monday, July 22, 2013 an officer with the Ontario Provincial Police attempted to stop a motorcycle travelling southbound on Kennedy Road.
• At the intersection of Summer Drive and Kennedy Road the motorcycle was involved in a collision with a civilian vehicle.
• The driver of the motorcycle was taken to Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center for treatment of his injuries.

The SIU has assigned three investigators, two forensic investigators and a collision reconstructionist to probe the circumstances of this incident.

Anyone who may have witnessed this incident is asked to contact the lead investigator at 416-622-2314 or 1-800-787-8529 extension 2314.

The SIU is an arm’s length agency that investigates reports involving police where there has been death, serious injury or allegations of sexual assault. Under the Police Services Act, the Director of the SIU must

• consider whether an officer has committed a criminal offence  in connection with the incident under investigation
• depending on the evidence, lay a criminal charge against the officer if appropriate or close the file without any charges being laid
• report the results of any investigations to the Attorney General.

SIU Concludes Oshawa Vehicle Injuries Investigation

Case Number: 13-OVI-131

Mississauga (23 July, 2013) — The Director of the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), Ian Scott, has concluded that there are no reasonable grounds to charge a Durham Regional Police officer with any criminal offence in relation to injuries sustained by three individuals – a 39-year-old male, a 27-year-old male and a 33-year-old female.

The SIU assigned six investigators, three forensic investigators and a collision reconstructionist to probe the circumstances of this incident. As part of the investigation, five witness officers and 18 civilian witnesses were interviewed. The subject officer consented to an interview with the SIU but did not provide a copy of his duty notes, as is his legal right.

The SIU investigation found that the following events took place on Sunday, June 9, 2013:
• In the early hours of the day, the subject officer observed a Ford F150 pickup truck travelling northbound on Centre Street against the flow of traffic.  While he did not know it at the time, the truck had been stolen.  There were three young people in the cab.
•  The subject officer followed the truck, which eventually turned onto southbound Simcoe Street again going against the traffic.  He activated his roof lights in an attempt to stop the truck.
• The youth driving the stolen truck proceeded to turn the wrong way into the eastbound lanes of King Street.  The subject officer activated his siren and radioed in that he was initiating a pursuit.
• The pickup truck gathered speed, and in the vicinity of McMillan Street on King Street, it was travelling at approximately 120 km/hr.
• The subject officer backed off, hoping that the truck would slow down.  As the subject officer crested a hill near Stevenson Road, he saw the truck spinning out of control, and coming to rest near a tree.
• He saw two people running from the cab of the truck.  The subject officer parked his cruiser, and took chase, apprehending one of the truck’s occupants.
• When he returned to the site of the truck, he was informed that three pedestrians who were waiting for a taxi were seriously injured by the truck.
• They were transported to Oshawa General Hospital.
• All three complainants sustained serious injuries and were eventually released from the hospital after receiving medical treatment.

The accident reconstructionist report concluded that the truck mounted the northwest concrete sidewalk of the intersection of King St West at Stevenson Road at approximately 87 km/hr.  The truck mounted the curb and struck three pedestrians.  The truck continued westbound while rotating clockwise and came to rest on the grass just north of the sidewalk.  About ten seconds later, a marked cruiser driven by the subject officer came through the intersection at 83 km/hr with its emergency lights activated.  There is no evidence of physical contact between the subject officer’s cruiser and the Ford pickup truck.

Director Scott said, “The subject officer had the lawful authority to enter into a suspect apprehension pursuit of the pickup truck – it was being driven in a dangerous manner, and its driver did not stop after being signaled to do so.  The subject officer stayed in touch with his dispatcher and took into consideration the risk to public safety by backing off in an attempt to have the truck’s driver slow down.  Unfortunately, its driver had no intention of stopping, lost control and struck three pedestrians causing serious injury to all of them.  In my view, the subject officer complied with the Suspect Apprehension Pursuit Regulation to the Police Services Act in a lawful attempt to apprehend the driver of the pursued vehicle.  Unfortunately, the driver of the pursued vehicle lost control of the pickup truck, probably due to his inexperience as a driver and desire not to be apprehended driving a stolen vehicle, and struck three pedestrians.  While this motor vehicle collision was regrettable, I have no grounds to believe the subject officer committed a criminal offence when he had the lawful authority to engage in this suspect apprehension pursuit.”

SIU Concludes Toronto Firearm Death Investigation

Case Number: 13-TFD-130

Mississauga (23 July, 2013) — The Director of the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), Ian Scott, has concluded that there are no reasonable grounds to charge a Toronto Police Service officer with any criminal offence in regards to the shooting death of 39-year-old Malcolm Jackman, in June of 2013.

The SIU assigned five investigators and three forensic investigators to probe the circumstances of this incident. As part of the investigation, five witness officers and 10 civilian witnesses were interviewed. The subject officer provided the SIU with a copy of her duty notes and was interviewed by the SIU.

The SIU investigation found that the following events took place on Saturday, June 8, 2013:
• The subject officer and a witness officer were dispatched to an apartment at 140 Adanac Drive to assist paramedics with an emotionally disturbed person.
• When they arrived, a man approached the subject officer about Mr. Jackman attacking him at a bus stop with a knife.  (This information regarding Mr. Jackman was not the original reason for the attendance of the emergency responders.)
• The subject officer went to the apartment’s second floor with her partner and the paramedics, opened the door to the stairwell, and heard a man, now known to be Mr. Jackman talking to himself in the stairwell..
• She went down the stairs, and saw Mr. Jackman standing on the main floor area of the stairwell.  She instructed him to show her his hands.  He raised his hands over his head, displaying a knife in his right hand.
• Both officers drew their firearms and ordered Mr. Jackman to drop the knife.  He shouted at the officers, asking them to shoot him as he paced to the left and the right brandishing the knife.
• The subject officer discharged pepper spray in the direction of Mr. Jackman’s face but to no effect.
• Mr. Jackman fled out of the building through the stairwell exit door with the two officers following him.
• Once outside, the subject officer observed Mr. Jackman holding a civilian with his left arm wrapped around the civilian’s shoulders and his right hand holding the same knife pointed toward that individual’s throat.
• Both officers commanded Mr. Jackman to drop the knife multiple times while pointing their firearms at him.
• The subject officer observed Mr. Jackman moving the knife closer to his hostage’s neck, and discharged her firearm four times in his direction.
• Mr. Jackman fell to the ground.  Another officer approached him and handcuffed his wrists.  He was transported to Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre where he later succumbed to his injuries.
• A post-mortem examination determined that the cause of death was a single gunshot wound to the abdomen.  There were three projectile-related graze wounds, one on his left leg, one near his waist and another on his left arm.

Director Scott said, “In my view, the subject officer’s use of lethal force was justified in these circumstances.  She had received information that Mr. Jackman had attacked someone with a knife, and had seen him approach her and her partner in a menacing manner with a knife.  She had tried to use a non-lethal use of force option – pepper spray – to no avail.  She then witnessed Mr. Jackman take a stranger hostage with the knife, and refuse to drop that knife after multiple commands.  Finally, she saw him move the knife in a menacing fashion toward the neck of the hostage.  Mr. Jackman represented an imminent threat of death or serious bodily harm to the citizen.  Accordingly, I am of the view that she had no reasonable choice but to discharge her firearm to stop this imminent threat to the person who the decedent had taken hostage.”