No charges will be laid in connection to the death of a Chatham man nearly two years ago following an investigation by Ontario's Special Investigations Unit (SIU).
Chatham-Kent police were called to a residence on Grant Street in Chatham on August 6, 2019, to help paramedics transport a 35-year-old man to the hospital due to an overdose.
The 35-year-old was restrained because he was allegedly combative and lunged at officers and nurses "in a threatening way." While at the hospital, officers helped in making sure the man stayed on the stretcher so that a nurse could place soft restraints on his ankles, according to the SIU report.
The 35-year-old was given NARCAN, a medication used to counter the effects of an opioid overdose, and lost vital signs. The SIU report stated that he was revived but when he lost vital signs again, he could not be resuscitated despite CPR and other life-saving measures.
The Chatham man was pronounced dead at 7:46 p.m. on August 6, 2019.
An autopsy showed that the man's death was caused by a "sudden cardiorespiratory arrest in a man with acute methamphetamine toxicity, excited delirium and physical restraints."
"While there was conflict in the evidence regarding the officers’ use of manual power to keep the Complainant’s upper body/head area down, I am satisfied there are reasonable grounds to believe it occurred to one extent or another," read an analysis from the SIU Director Joseph Martino.
As a result, Martino determined there are no reasonable grounds to believe that an officer committed a criminal offence in connection with the Chatham man’s death.