Three Canadian police officers have been charged with manslaughter after a 1.5-year-old child died in a shooting in Ontario in 2020, an independent government agency announced on Wednesday. “The Director of the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), Joseph Martino, has reasonable grounds to believe that three Ontario Provincial Police officers have committed criminal offenses in connection with the death…of Jameson Shapiro”, is it written, in a short press release.
This 18-month-old child died in Kawartha Lakes, about a hundred kilometers north of Toronto, on November 26, 2020 in a shooting involving his father and the police. He had been shot in his father’s van and died instantly. “Consequently, Joseph Martino recommends that charges be brought against each of the agents”, is it indicated by the organization which specifies that it “will not make any other comment concerning this investigation”.
Manslaughter and Criminal Negligence
The three provincial police officers are each charged with manslaughter and criminal negligence causing death. They had all used their firearms, according to previous press releases. The body had previously said that the police, after being informed that a father had abducted his son, had then spotted the van and tried to intercept it. The van had collided with two cars, including one of the police. A policeman, who was outside the police car, was seriously injured. A shootout erupted afterwards.
In early 2021, the SIU had concluded that “the death of the child (…) resulted from a shooting by the police”. The organization had also mentioned the seizure of the three firearms from the police, and specified that a pistol had been found in the van. The child’s father, a 33-year-old man, was seriously injured and was transported by air ambulance and died in hospital a few days later. All three officers are scheduled to appear in Ontario Court of Justice on October 6.