Three police officers in Ontario who were accused of a crime in connection with the death of a one-year-old boy in Kawartha Lakes, Ontario. In 2020, some things were taken back.
In Newmarket, Ontario. court building on Monday, Judge Paul L. Bellefontaine said they are dropping the charges against OPP constables Nathan Vanderheyden, Kenneth Pengelly, and Grayson Cappus. The three police officers were accused of causing the death of an 18-month-old boy named Jameson Shapiro. They were charged with manslaughter, aggravated assault, and firing a gun recklessly.
The charges were canceled because the prosecutors didn’t think they could prove the officers were guilty to a jury.
On November on May 26, 2020, Jameson’s dad, who is 33 years old, was involved in a car chase with the police. During the chase, Jameson was shot and killed by the police. Earlier that day, the police were told that Jameson’s father had taken the child. This information was given to the Ontario Special Investigation Unit, which looks into cases where the police have caused serious harm or are accused of sexual assault.
Jameson died right away, and his father died in the hospital almost a week later. The police watchdog said that evidence showed that the officers’ gunfire killed both Jameson and his father. However, the officers were only charged for the child’s death.
In January 2021, the SIU said that the three officers who shot their guns did not want to be asked questions and were not required by law to do so. At that time, the SIU had talked to 18 police officers and 14 regular people for their investigation. The SIU accused the officers in August 2022, almost two years after the incident.
In a statement on Monday, the Ontario Provincial Police Association said that the withdrawal was a vindicating result in a tragic case.
“When something like this happens, it hurts the families, the community, and all of us who work in law enforcement,” said President John Cerasuolo in the statement. “We are committed to helping and keeping people safe, and we take this responsibility very seriously. ” “Sometimes, when police officers deal with very dangerous and quickly changing situations, things can turn out differently than they expected. ”
Cerasuolo said the association has always said that the officers did a good job and acted bravely, and they are sure that the officers will not be found guilty in court.
“It’s important for people to know that when the police are accused of a crime, they are considered innocent until proven guilty. In this case, it was decided that there wasn’t enough evidence to convict them. ” “Our officers were just doing what they were trained to do,” he kept talking.
After their court appearance, Pengally’s lawyer, Joseph Markson, told reporters that he felt relieved.
Markson said it’s the fair result. “We’re happy that the system is working and we always believed in Const. ” Pengally showed a lot of courage, bravery, and professionalism on this sad day.
Attorney Joseph Markson talks to the press after charges against the Ontario provincial police officers involved in the 2020 shooting of an 18-month-old in Kawartha Lakes, Ont. , are dropped
People who are affected by the deaths are being told to get help from the Canadian Mental Health Association.