MISSISSAUGA – NEWS – The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, found no reasonable grounds to believe a Thunder Bay Police Service officer committed a criminal offence in connection with the death of Mr. Arron Loon, 20, in Thunder Bay in 2015.
In the morning of March 25, 2015, Mr. Loon was found deceased in Junot Park. The night before, a friend of his had called police seeking their assistance. The friend had reported Mr. Loon was in the park, intoxicated, yelling and wearing a T-shirt and pants. No police officers arrived to check on Mr. Loon.
The subject of Mr. Loon’s death was taken up by the Office of the Independent Police Review Director (OIPRD) as part of a wider review of the manner in which the Thunder Bay Police Service had investigated the deaths of several persons of First Nations heritage.
Following the OIPRD report – Broken Trust – issued in December 2018, the circumstances surrounding Mr. Loon’s death were referred to a team consisting of various specialists for reinvestigation. The Chief Coroner, a member of the team, contacted the SIU on January 18, 2022, expressing concerns that Mr. Loon’s death had not initially been reported to the SIU, and indicating that it appeared the matter fell within the SIU’s statutory mandate.
The SIU then initiated an investigation of Mr. Loon’s death following notification by the Chief Coroner.
In conclusion, Director Martino found Mr. Loon’s death could not be traced in the evidence with any confidence to any criminally negligent conduct on the part of the subject official, leaving no basis for proceeding with criminal charges in this case.
The file has been closed.
