Family devastated after SIU clears officer in man’s death
Posted June 4, 2014 6:44 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The family of a man who was shot and killed by Durham police last December say they’re devastated after learning that the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) cleared the officer who fired the fatal shots.
On Tuesday, the SIU concluded it had no grounds to lay charges against the officer who shot and killed 47-year-old Michael MacIsaac.
“From what we have been told the interaction between the officer and my uncle was 12 seconds in length,” said MacIsaac’s niece Tonya Littlejohn. “I don’t really know what de-escalation techniques they have in place, but I don’t imagine you can put any of them in play in 12 seconds.”
The SIU said the officer involved was justified, fearing for his life after responding to reports of a naked man on a rampage in Ajax. The report said MacIsaac was armed with a metal table leg when the officer encountered him.
His family claims his erratic behaviour that day could be attributed to a medical condition that MacIsaac had been dealing with for years.
“Michael had epilepsy, and not all seizures are like that, but anyone who knows epilepsy knows you can have complex seizures,” said MacIsaac’s sister Joanne.
Epilepsy Toronto issued a statement Wednesday encouraging broader police training on seizures, saying they can take many different forms that most people are unfamiliar with.
Durham police say officers are trained in de-escalation techniques, but are limited when it comes to the number of non-lethal weapons at their disposal.
“We only have about 10-12 Tasers out in the community at any particular shift,” said Durham police spokesperson Dave Selby. “All officers here do not have them…”
MacIsaac’s relatives, including his mother and five sisters, say they will make it their mission to ensure that more officers are provided with non-lethal options.
“Michael did not have to die (and) we’re going to have to fight for change in his name and we don’t want any other family to go through this,” MacIsaac’s sister Joanne said.
The family calls the SIU ruling a step back, but insists the fight isn’t over. They are in talks with their lawyer, Julian Falconer, about their legal options.
The SIU decision, which comes exactly six months after MacIsaac’s death, is the first major case and only the second police shooting case decided by newly-appointed director Tony Loparco, former head of the Scarborough Crown attorney’s office.
