SIU investigating after man falls from apartment window during negotiations with Toronto police
6 officers were on the scene Thursday evening when the man fell
Ontario's police watchdog is investigating after a 32-year-old man in Toronto fell from an apartment window and died at the scene during negotiations with police Thursday evening.
According to a Friday release from the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), officers were called to a high-rise apartment at Jane Street and Finch Avenue West around 4:30 p.m. for reports of a man "throwing objects" from a balcony to the ground.
Three officers arrived and attempted to negotiate with the man, the release says. An additional three officers from the Emergency Task Force arrived to talk with the man from an adjoining apartment, according to the SIU.
The unit is called to investigate when people are killed or seriously injured in interactions with police officers in Ontario. The SIU also investigates confrontations in which police discharge a firearm at a person or when allegations of sexual assault are made against officers.
The unit investigated an incident involving Toronto police two years ago in which a young woman fell to her death.
In May of 2020, Regis Korchinski-Paquet fell from her 24th-floor apartment balcony while officers were in her home. The SIU cleared the five officers of wrongdoing months later, saying while their efforts to de-escalate the situation were unsuccessful, none of them broke the law.
In Thursday's incident, the SIU says "in the course of negotiations, the man fell from the apartment window to the ground below," and was pronounced dead at the scene.
The unit says four investigators and two forensic investigators have been assigned to the case. It says it has designated six "witness officials."
The SIU is appealing to anyone who may have information about the investigation to contact the lead investigator at 1-800-787-8529 or online.