Watchdog agency says no grounds to charge police in Halifax balcony death

HALIFAX — Nova Scotia’s police watchdog says there are no grounds to charge two Halifax police officers who responded during an April 7 incident that resulted in the death of a man who jumped off an apartment balcony.

The Serious Incident Response Team said today the officers made their way up to the second floor of the building and entered the apartment, where a man and woman were on the balcony.

SiRT says when the man, who had sustained a self-inflicted stab wound, saw the officers coming towards the balcony, he jumped over the railing and fell to his death.

It was determined that neither officer had any physical contact with the man before he jumped.

Investigators say that earlier, the man’s wife ran to her neighbour’s door screaming, saying her husband had a knife and was threatening self-harm.

SiRT says the autopsy report showed the cause of death was from a sharp force injury to the chest and the death was ruled a suicide.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 24, 2020.

 

The Canadian Press