TORONTO — Ontario’s police watchdog says it’s looking to speak to another witness in its investigation into the death of a Toronto woman who fell from her balcony while police were in her apartment.
The Special Investigations Unit says it has spoken to three of Regis Korchinski-Paquet’s family members about the incident and received a statement from a fourth.
Its investigators have also interviewed 14 additional witnesses, including seven police officers.
However, the agency says it’s been made aware of another witness who was at the apartment at the time of Korchinski-Paquet’s death, and is trying to speak to that person.
The SIU says it has asked the family’s legal team, which is conducting its own investigation, to identify any additional witnesses and provide any information about the case as soon as possible.
The family’s legal team said in a statement this week that a second, out-of-province autopsy was being conducted on Korchinski-Paquet’s body, and the SIU says it is awaiting those results.
“Out of an abundance of caution, SIU director Joseph Martino has decided to wait for the results of this second post-mortem before concluding the investigation and arriving at a decision,” the agency’s statement reads.
“It is our understanding that the report of that examination is not expected until August.”
Korchinski-Paquet’s death sparked weeks of protests, with another march and memorial planned for July 25 in Toronto.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 17, 2020.
The Canadian Press
