Release:

The Director of the Serious Incident Response Team (SiRT) found no reasonable grounds to believe that a Halifax Regional Police Officer committed a criminal offence in connection with a serious injury sustained during an arrest.

The Halifax Regional Police responded to a 911 call from a Dartmouth pharmacy on October 20, 2023, regarding a male who was wanted for assault with a weapon the previous day. When police arrived at the pharmacy, the male had already departed in a taxi. Police conducted a traffic stop and the male fled on foot. Despite multiple commands to stop and being told he was under arrest, he continued to flee.  The responding officer deployed their conducted energy weapon (“CEW”/ “taser”), striking the male. He fell face down on the ground and suffered an orbital bone fracture.

The full report is available at http://sirt.novascotia.ca

The SiRT is responsible for investigating all matters that involve death, serious injury, sexual assault and intimate partner violence or other matters of a public interest to be investigated that may have arisen from the actions of any police officer in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Investigations are under the direction and control of an independent civilian director, who has the sole authority to determine if charges should be laid at the conclusion of an investigation.