Police cleared of wrongdoing in February fatal crash

SiRT release:

The Director of the Serious Incident Response Team (SiRT) found no reasonable grounds to believe that a member of the RCMP committed a criminal offence in connection with a fatal crash that took place on February 26, 2024, in Hammonds Plains.

On February 26, 2024, the SiRT received a referral from the RCMP regarding a fatal collision. Police were seeking to arrest an adult male related to intimate partner violence and violent offences alleged to have taken place on February 25, 2024. Further incidents of intimate partner violence and threats were reported on February 26, 2024. Police located and pursued the male in his vehicle. The vehicle entered a residential subdivision. While traveling at a high rate of speed it failed to negotiate a turn and collided with a utility pole. The male was pronounced dead at the scene. An autopsy found the cause of death to be “multiple blunt force trauma” and the manner “accident.” Blood toxicology found the presence of alcohol and drugs, including cocaine.

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 public interest that may have arisen from the actions of any police officer in Nova Scotia or 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.

Final summer tally: 234 alcohol-impaired, 12 drug-impaired, 28 test refusal charges