The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) says an Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officer has been cleared regarding the death of a man after a police dog bite in Midland.
The incident involving police and the 45-year-old happened during an arrest on October 13, 2023.
Officers from the Southern Georgian Bay OPP detachment say they responded to a gun call involving two men in Midland.
According to a news release following the incident, police were called to the area of Bay Street and Second Avenue for a reported dispute around 2:30 p.m.
When officers arrived, they learned that a man involved in the dispute was seen carrying a firearm before he left the area in a vehicle.
Their investigation led them to a residential complex on William Street where the man and an accompanied woman barricaded themselves inside.
Several hours later, the woman left the complex and was arrested.
Later that evening, the male suspect was taken into custody.
"A police service dog was deployed ahead of a police entry into the apartment. The dog bit and held the man, allowing him to be taken into custody by officers," said the SIU.
"Director [Joseph] Martino noted that police gave the man ample opportunity to surrender peacefully and only sent in the dog when attempted negotiations over more than five hours proved futile."
According to Martino, it remained "unclear whether and to what extent the police dog bite, and the resulting infection that set in, were causally related to the man’s death" on November 5.
"While the cause of death is not yet known, he was satisfied that the dog’s deployment constituted reasonably necessary force," the SIU added.
Banner image - file photo - Barrie 360
- With files from Ian MacLennan (Barrie 360)
