Ontario's Special Investigations Unit has cleared police of any wrongdoing in connection to the death of a Kingsville teen who drove his car into Lake Erie.
In a report released Wednesday, SIU director Joseph Martino found "no reasonable grounds" to believe an OPP officer committed a criminal offence in connection with the 19-year-old's death.
Police received a call on the morning of Feb. 28, 2023 about a young man in distress.
An officer located the teen’s vehicle near Cedar Island Drive in Kingsville, but could not see inside.
According to the report, as the officer approached the vehicle, it accelerated and drove off the roadway into the water.
The scene was secured and the OPP dive team contacted.
SIU director Martino concluded there was little the officer could do to prevent the man from entering the water and a rescue attempt would have been dangerous given the conditions.
The SIU investigates interactions by police with the public that result in death, serious injury, sexual assault, and the the discharge of a firearm at a person.