Ontario's law-enforcement oversight agency has concluded the probe into the February death of a 19-year-old man.
Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) responded to a call on the morning of February 28, at Cedar Island Drive in Kingsville. When officers arrived, they spotted the man's vehicle but at first, saw no one inside. As the officers attempted to get a closer look, the vehicle suddenly accelerated, then went off the road into the water.
An OPP dive team was dispatched, and the vehicle was found in the water on March 1. The man's body was inside.
Since police were involved in a situation that included a death, the OPP notified the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), which invoked its mandate and took over the probe.
SIU Director Joseph Martino said the OPP officers conducted their duties properly, and the investigation was closed.
"As the officer approached the vehicle to confirm its licence plate, there was little he could do to prevent [it] from travelling into the water once it accelerated away from him," wrote Martino in the report. "Nor was there much the SO [subject official] could do after the vehicle entered the water. Entering the water to attempt a rescue was fraught with danger given the water conditions and a victim seemingly intent on ending his life, and the officer was wise to refrain from doing so."
