WRPS officer won't be charged in connection to man's fatal fall: SIU

The headquarters for the Special Investigations Unit is seen here.

Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit says no charges will be laid against a Waterloo Regional Police Service officer in connection to the January 2022 death of a 27-year-old man.

In a media release, the SIU says they found "no reasonable grounds" to believe the officer committed a criminal offence and they were "satisfied that the conduct of an attending officer fell short of constituting a marked and substantial departure from a reasonable standard of care."

As a result, SIU Director Joseph Marino determined there was no basis for criminal charges and closed the case.

According to the release, WRPS officers were called to a Waterloo apartment on Jan. 11 after a woman said her boyfriend was threatening suicide. Officers were outside the unit's door when they heard glass breaking inside the apartment. The SIU says the man had used a dumbbell to break the window and jumped through, falling to ground below.

The 27-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene.

The SIU investigates incidents involving police where there has been a death, serious injury or allegation of sexual assault.