Province's SIU clears OPP officer after man's death following police dog bite
The province's Special Investigations Unit (SIU) has cleared an OPP officer of any wrongdoing in connection to the death of a Midland man in November 2023.
The SIU was called in to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of Dale Lewis. The 45-year-old died in hospital on Nov. 5, nearly one month after being bit by a police dog during an arrest.
- Download the CTV News app free to get local news alerts
- Don't miss breaking news - Sign up for the CTV Newsletter
The incident took place on Oct. 13. Officers negotiated with Lewis, who was barricaded inside a Midland apartment, for nearly nine hours.
According to the report by the SIU, the police dog was deployed after negotiations were proving futile around the five-hour mark. The dog bit and held the man, allowing police to place him under arrest, an action the SIU report deemed as necessary force.
SIU Director Joseph Martino said it remains unclear whether the dog bite and subsequent infection were related in any way to the man's death. However, the report says the exact cause of Lewis' death is still not known.
CTV News Public Safety Analyst and former OPP commissioner Chris Lewis had suggested to CTV News in November 2023 that he found the SIU's involvement in the case puzzling.
"Certainly, police K9 units have bitten people and injured them over the years; that kind of comes with the turf, but someone actually dying as a result of that is a very rare occurrence," Lewis said in November.
The SIU is called in anytime police are involved in an incident that results in death, serious injury, sexual assault or the discharge of a weapon at another person.
With files from CTV's Mike Arsalides & CTV's Kim Phillips.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6976871.1721873052!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
DEVELOPING Jasper updates: Wildfire reaches townsite
One of two wildfires threatening Jasper National Park has reached the townsite.
Alberta calls in army to assist with wildfire situation
Alberta has called in the Canadian Armed Forces to help assist with the worsening wildfire situation in the province.
Biden explains why he ended re-election bid in Oval Office address
U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday delivered a solemn call to voters to defend the country's democracy as he laid out in an Oval Office address his decision to drop his bid for reelection and throw his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris.
Barrie-Innisfil MPP 'blacked-out' and crashed car into window of child care centre
Staff at a Barrie child care centre say they are frustrated by what they call a local MPP's inadequate response after a car crashed through a window in one of the toddler rooms.
Norad intercepts Russian and Chinese bombers operating together near Alaska in apparent first
The North American Aerospace Defence Command (Norad) intercepted two Russian and two Chinese bombers flying near Alaska Wednesday in what appears to be the first time the two countries have been intercepted while operating together.
2 Canadians being 'sent home immediately,' removed from Olympic team after drone incident
An analyst and an assistant coach with Canada Soccer are being removed from the Canadian Olympic Team and 'sent home immediately,' according to the Canadian Olympic Committee.
An unwelcome attendee has joined the Paris Olympic Games: COVID-19
After a handful of Australian water polo players tested positive for COVID-19 this week, questions have emerged around how the spread of the disease will be mitigated at the Summer Olympic Games in Paris.
Vacations, meals, booze: Contractor used $100K of charity's money for personal expenses, B.C. court finds
A B.C. man who was hired to help a non-profit build a food hub but instead spent the money on personal expenses – including travel, restaurants, booze and cannabis – has been ordered to pay more than $120,000 in damages.
Male, female killed, 2 others injured in 'gun battle' outside Toronto plaza: police
Two people are dead and two others suffered serious injuries following a shooting that police have described as a 'gun battle' outside a plaza in Scarborough, Ont. early Wednesday morning.