Questions remained after SIU report on the death of Regis Korchinski-Paquet

BY PAUL JUNOR

The clearing of the six officers by the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) in the falling death of 29-year-old Afro-Canadian activist, Regis Korchinski-Paquet on Wednesday, August 26^th, 2020 has raised many questions. It took almost three months for the SIU to file its report after her untimely death. There has been much speculation and questions, which has led to protests, demonstrations and confrontations in Toronto and other cities.

It was on that fateful day when her mother, Claudette Beals, posted a video after her fatal fall stating that, “The police killed my daughter, came into my apartment and shoved her off the balcony.” After the SIU report was released her father, Peter Korchinski in a Fifth Estate interview with Mark Kelley said, “This is a very sad day for our family-for Regis, too.” This sadness was reflected in her sister, Renee Korchinski Beaks who stated, “We’re absolutely disgusted with the outcome. Justice wasn’t served today, but that doesn’t mean we’re going to stop fighting for my sister. They’re wrong for their decision, they’re absolutely wrong.”

In the report, SIU Director James Ramer stated, “There were allegations in the wake of Ms.Korchinski-Paquet’s death that she was pushed off the balcony by the police. The evidence established that this did not occur.” He goes on to state further that, “Instead, the evidence indicates that no one other than Ms Korchinski-Paquet was on the balcony when she scaled over the railing and attempted to sidestep along the outer ledge over to her neighbour’s balcony, lost her balance and fell.”

In coming to its decision, the SIU interviewed the six officers included the subject officer and well as fifteen civilian witnesses which included her mother and brother who were present at the time of the incident. The SIU investigator had access to crime scene photos, 911 call recordings, and audio recordings from In-Car Camera systems inside the cruisers, as well as from the apartment building. Written reports from the Toronto Police Services (TPS) and two post-mortem were also presented. In addition, her father, who was in contact by phone before she fell to her death, released a statement.

There are many questions that remained unanswered after the SIU report, which can be accessed at www.siu.on.ca for those who want to analyze it critically. There was no evidence to indicate that Ms Korchiknski suffered from mental illness and was suicidal before the police were asked to her apartment. She suffered from seizures, which caused her behaviour to be erratic at times. The officers claimed that they did not call for the Mobile Crisis Intervention Team because there was the presence of a knife, which they thought could be used as a weapon.

One lawyer, Knia Singh who spoke at a press conference on Wednesday,

August 26^th, 2020 is concerned that certain key elements were missed and that one or more police officers should have been held criminally responsible because of failure to provide the necessities of life, or criminally negligent causing death. He stated that, “Without a doubt, without them going in there, Regis would be with us today.” There are still questions about autopsies and Martino’s legal analysis.

On Saturday, August 29^th, 2020, two rallies were held in Toronto: one at Downsview Park, and the other at Christie Pit organized by The Coalition for BIPOC Liberation. The goal of the protests across Canada is “End systemic racism in all sectors of the government.”