SIU Investigates Custody Death in London, Ontario

No word yet whether a taser was used or what kind of a "group home" the man lived in.

MISSISSAUGA, ONTARIO -- 08/04/10 -- Ontario's Special Investigations Unit (SIU) is probing the circumstances surrounding the custody death of a twenty-year-old man in London. The London Police Service (LPS) reported the following information to the SIU:

-- On August 3, at approximately 6:30 p.m., officers attended a group home at 313 Clarke Road in London at the request of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) to deal with a male who was acting aggressively.
-- There was an interaction between the man and officers, and he was arrested.
-- EMS provided treatment to the man, and he was subsequently transported to London Health Sciences Centre - Victoria Hospital.
-- He was pronounced dead at 8:22 p.m.

A postmortem will take place today. Five investigators and two forensic investigators from the SIU are investigating this incident. Anyone who may have information regarding this case is asked to contact the Unit at 416-622-0748 or 1-800-787-8529.

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.