SIU clears Peel police officers in death of man after he was administered naloxone

Ontario’s police watchdog has ended an investigation involving Peel Regional Police officers following the death of a man last month in Brampton when CPR was performed and naloxone was administered in an attempt to save his life.

The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) said police responded to a medical call around 12:30 a.m at a residence in the area of McLaughlin Road and Queen Street West on March 12.

Officers arrived on scene and located a 36-year-old man without vital signs. The SIU said officers performed CPR and administered naloxone, which reverses the effects of an opioid drug overdose.

Paramedics arrived and took over but efforts to revive him were unsuccessful and the man was pronounced dead, the SIU said.

READ MORE: Paramedic union condemns police watchdog’s investigation of Peel officers who administered naloxone

SIU Director Tony Loparco said in a media release that police only had contact with the man when they performed CPR and administered naloxone.

“While neither of these interventions was able to save the man’s life, they did not contribute to the man’s death,” Loparco said. “As such, I have terminated the investigation into this incident.”

The investigation launched by the SIU following the man’s death was publicly criticized by the Peel Region paramedics union, which claimed the probe will have a “chilling effect” that could harm those who are vulnerable.

READ MORE: SIU investigating death of man in Mississauga after naloxone administered by police

In a January letter addressed to the SIU, Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police president Bryan Larkin wrote that police forces should not have to inform the SIU of deaths or serious injuries if officers’ only interaction with the person was to administer the opioid-blocking drug.

The police watchdog also launched an investigation into the death of a 45-year-old man on April 5 after police in Mississauga administered naloxone. The probe is ongoing.

The SIU is an independent enforcement agency that investigates incidents involving police that have resulted in death, serious injury or alleged sexual assault.

VIDEO: SIU investigating death of man in Mississauga after naloxone administered by police

— With a file from Nick Westoll