Court drops charges against Ontario police officers involved in fatal 2020 shooting of 18-month-old
CTV
Criminal charges laid against the three Ontario provincial police officers involved in the death of a one-year-old boy in Kawartha Lakes, Ont. three years ago were withdrawn during a Monday court appearance.
Criminal charges laid against the three Ontario provincial police officers involved in the death of a one-year-old boy in Kawartha Lakes, Ont. in 2020 have been withdrawn.
At the Newmarket, Ont. courthouse on Monday, Justice Paul L. Bellefontaine announced a withdrawal of charges against OPP constables Nathan Vanderheyden, Kenneth Pengelly and Grayson Cappus. The three constables were previously facing one count each of manslaughter, aggravated assault, and reckless discharge of a firearm in relation to the death of 18-month-old Jameson Shapiro.
The charges were dropped after prosecutors said they believed there would be no way to prove the officers' guilt beyond a reasonable doubt in front of a jury.
On Nov. 26, 2020, Jameson was killed by police gunfire during a vehicle chase between officers and his 33-year-old father. Earlier that day, it had been reported to police that Jameson’s father had abducted the child, according to Ontario’s Special Investigation Unit, an arms-length agency that investigates police interactions that result in serious injury, death, or allegations of sexual assault.
Jameson died at the scene, while his father died from his injuries in hospital nearly a week later. While the police watchdog said evidence suggested officer gunfire killed both Jameson and his father, charges were only brought against the officers in connection with the child's death.
In January 2021, the SIU said the three officers who opened fire had not agreed to be interviewed and were under no legal obligation to do so. At the time, the SIU had interviewed 18 police officers and 14 civilians as part of its investigation. The officers were charged by the SIU nearly two years later, in August 2022.
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