Body of man wanted for attempted murder recovered from Niagara River
Posted September 21, 2019 7:21 am.
Last Updated September 21, 2019 11:16 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Niagara police say the body of a man recovered from the Niagara River on Saturday afternoon is that of a 28-year-old wanted for attempted murder following an incident on the river on Friday.
Officers responded to a report of three people in the water in distress in the area of Jarvis Street and Niagara Boulevard around 6:30 p.m. Friday.
A bystander was able to pull a 29-year-old woman from the water along with a young child. The woman was taken to hospital, however, she was pronounced dead on Saturday. Police have not released her name but friends identified her on Facebook as Amanda Joan Martin.
Police would not say if the woman’s death was as a result of being in the water or if she sustained injuries prior to going into the river.
The child was transported to an area hospital where they are listed in stable condition.
Around 1:30 p.m. Saturday afternoon, police confirmed they had recovered the body of a man from the river near the area where the incident occurred on Friday. He has been identified as 28-year-old Joshawa Raymond Douglas Brooks, the child’s father who was also wanted for attempted murder in relation to the child and breach of probation.
Police tell CityNews their investigation now centres on what led to this tragedy.
“This is a pretty impactful situation, not only for the family but also the community,” said Const. Phil Gavin of Niagara Regional Police. “Fort Erie is kind of a small community and what a lot of people want to know is, why? Detectives are working with the office of the coroner to try and establish that why and try to be able to explain it a little bit better.”
Police are asking anyone who may have witnessed the incident to contact them.
