SIU called in after suspect dies from balcony fall while fleeing St. James Town stabbing

The province’s Special Investigations Unit has been called in after a stabbing investigation in St. James Town turned fatal Friday when a 52-year-old man, attempting to flee the scene, fell from a balcony and died.

Toronto police were called just before 11 a.m. to a residential building in the area of Bleeker Street and St. James Avenue, close to Wellesley Street East, for reports of a stabbing inside the property.

Police located a victim suffering from stab wounds and began providing aid. The victim was transported to the hospital with serious but stable injuries deemed non-life-threatening.

According to the SIU, officers knocked on the door of an apartment unit and, through the door, had a conversation with a man.

“A short time later, officers learned that the man had fallen from a balcony to the ground below. First aid was administered, but the man succumbed to his injuries at the scene,” the police watchdog said in a brief statement Friday evening.

The SIU independently investigates police‑involved incidents that result in death, serious injury, or firearm discharge at a person.