Barrie’s police chief says the death of a 32-year-old man while in custody is tragic.
“This was a very tragic incident, one which touches family, friends and our community,” said Chief Kimberley Greenwood at a brief press conference Tuesday.
Barrie police say the arrest took place around 2:30 p.m. on Friday in downtown Barrie.
They confirm the man was then taken to the Barrie Police station for processing where he went into “medical distress.” Paramedics were called and provided first-aid at the station before transporting him to Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre where he later died.
The police chief did not provide any details on why the man was arrested.
Family and friends have identified him as Olando Brown.
The Special Investigations Unit invoked its mandate after being contacted by the police service and is continuing to piece together the actions of three Barrie police officers.
“I recognize that this tragic incident is difficult for our community. Legislation prevents The Barrie Police Service from speaking to the event or circumstances leading up to the incident,” said Greenwood.
Greenwood said the police service is fully cooperating with the SIU investigation.
“The Barrie Police Service has the utmost trust and confidence in the Special Investigations Unit to conduct a thorough, timely and complete investigation.”
Barrie Police Association President Tom Sinclair could not speak specifically to the case involving members however he reiterated the union’s support for its officers and awaits the findings of the Special Investigations Unit.
“They want to make Barrie the safest, and the best community they can. So they’re very much affected when tragic events like this one occur…the video clip is a thirty second snapshot of the events that have unfolded. We don’t know the circumstances that led up to this point and what occurred afterwards so there’s many factors that could have been involved that would not have been captured in the thirty second phone clip,” said Sinclair.
The SIU confirmed an autopsy was conducted yesterday in Toronto, but will not release its findings until completing the full investigation of this case.
