It has been determined there are no reasonable grounds to charge any of the officers involved in an incident which resulted in a man shooting himself in the head.
The Special Investigation Unit (SIU) issued a release Tuesday morning with the official announcement. The investigation dates back to a July 25, 2017 incident in which a woman called police to report her common-law partner was accessing firearms in their Chatham home. The man was later confirmed to be District Chief of Windsor EMS Shawn Davis.
The report said officers attended the residence and contained the surrounding area. Police then attempted to engage with Davis but said there was no response.
The SIU report said officers found the complainant deceased after police entered the home. The immediate cause of death was determined to be a "gunshot wound to the head". Special Investigations Unit Director Tony Loparco determined there are no reasonable grounds to lay criminal charges against any officers in relation to Davis’ death.
According to the report it was determined that no gunshots were heard while police were present, and no officers discharged their firearms.
After first arriving on scene just after midnight, police attempted to make contact with Davis, but were unsuccessful. The report didn't say whether Davis had already died before officers arrived on scene, but made it clear no gunshots were heard during their presence.
Police attempted to call the complainant's cell phone and got no answer. They tried to get his attention by using a hailer, flash-bang, and air horn. All were unsuccessful in creating any sort of dialogue with Davis.
After Davis failed to show up for a 7 a.m. shift at work, police made the decision to enter the home where they found the deceased in a bedroom with what has been determined as a gunshot wound to his right temple.
The report stated Davis took his own life without any intervention by police. The SIU added it would be speculative to assume his life could have been saved had police acted with less caution and more quickly. The report said that all officers followed correct procedures as set out in their policy guidelines and can't be held responsible for the complainant’s actions.
