Halifax police cleared of wrongdoing in woman's suicide
Officers used stun guns and baton in attempt to stop woman from stabbing herself
Halifax Regional Police have been cleared of any wrongdoing in the death of a 39-year-old university student from China.
The woman died on Dec. 29, 2014, after she stabbed herself several times in the throat. Nova Scotia's Serious Incident Response Team were called in to investigate the circumstances because police were involved and had tried to stop the woman.
The agency says police had gone to an apartment on Tower Road in Halifax after a 911 call about someone who may be suicidal.
Three officers entered and found the woman stabbing herself repeatedly. They used stun guns and batons in an attempt to stop her from killing herself. The woman was rushed to hospital, but died.
In a report released today, SIRT found officers were justified in entering the apartment, did nothing wrong and the response was appropriate.
"While this included the application of force from the [conducted energy weapons] and a police baton, in the circumstances dramatic steps were necessary and appropriate," SIRT director Ron MacDonald wrote in the report.
"In this case the police actions were not only justified, but commendable."