Three OPP Officers Have Been Charged In The Fatal Shooting Of An 18-Month-Old Boy
They have been charged with manslaughter.
OPP cruiser with lights on.
Three Ontario Provincial Police officers have been charged after a fatal shooting that resulted in the death of an 18-month-old boy.
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On Wednesday, the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) released a statement saying that they believe the three "officers committed criminal offences in relation to the death of 18-month-old Jameson Shapiro in November 2020 in the City of Kawartha Lakes."
As a result, the Director of the SIU, Joseph Martino, has charged OPP constables Nathan Vanderheyden, Kenneth Pengelly and Grayson Cappus each with one count of manslaughter.
The SIU started this investigation on November 26, 2020, when a tragic incident occurred in the Kawartha Lakes involving a father, baby and OPP officers.
At around 8:35 a.m. that day, OPP became aware of a father who abducted his son from the Municipality of Trent Lakes. Later, the OPP found the pickup truck of interest, and officers attempted to stop the vehicle.
The pickup truck then crashed with an OPP cruiser and another car; an officer standing outside the cruiser sustained serious injuries during the collision.
An altercation between the 33-year-old driver and officers caused firearms to be discharged, and the man was struck.
Unfortunately, a one-year-old boy in the pickup truck was also struck and pronounced deceased at the scene.
The father was airlifted to the hospital after the officers shot him, and on December 3, 2020, he succumbed to his injuries.
Additionally, "two police-issued rifles and one police-issued pistol were collected. The three officers who discharged these firearms multiple times were designated as subject officers." A pistol found in the pickup truck was also sent to forensics for examination.
On February 11, 2021, the postmortem examination determined that the child's death was a result of the shots fired by the police.
On Wednesday, August 31, 2022, the three officers were charged with "one count of manslaughter, contrary to s. 236(a) of the Criminal Code. They are each also charged with one count of criminal negligence causing death, contrary to s. 220(a) of the Criminal Code."
"All charges are in relation to the death of Jameson."
They will be required to appear in the Ontario Court of Justice in Lindsay on October 6, 2022.