Family of man killed at OPP detachment calls for inquest
No grounds for charges against officer who shot Babak Saidi in 2017, SIU says
The family of an eastern Ontario man shot and killed by an OPP officer is calling for a coroner's inquest into his death.
Babak Saidi, 43, died at the OPP detachment in Morrisburg, Ont., on Dec. 23, 2017, after arriving for his mandatory weekly check-in — a condition of a 2014 conviction.
A scuffle ensued, during which an officer fired several shots, killing Saidi.
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After investigating the incident, the province's police watchdog concluded there were no reasonable grounds to lay criminal charges against the officer who shot Saidi.
"Nothing is going to bring my brother back," Elly Saidi said Wednesday, one day after the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) released its report. "But I would love to see an inquest to see what really happened. It will teach us what could have been done differently."
According to the SIU report, Saidi died less than two minutes after entering the detachment, when he was informed he was being arrested on new criminal charges.
"My brother was in custody at the time of the police shooting," Elly Saidi said. "We really need an inquest."
Video footage inconclusive
Elly Saidi said the SIU has allowed the family to view video footage captured by the detachment's interior and exterior cameras the day of her brother's death.
"The video was very low quality," she said. "And [there was] as very strong, white light in the background that made everything very fuzzy and blurry."
The SIU report confirms "the video from the interior of the building, looking out onto the incident, was somewhat hampered because of the glare from the sun." The exterior video, while clear, only captured a portion of the interaction.
According to Saidi's postmortem report from the Eastern Ontario Regional Forensic Pathology Unit, "he was brought down to the ground by two officers, punched in the head multiple times and may have been shot with a conducted energy weapon (CEW). Review of security camera footage of the incident showed no evidence that the CEW had a physiologic effect on [Saidi], although the final few seconds of the interaction were not captured on video."
According to the SIU, Saidi was shot a total of five times, but he died as a result of three gunshot wounds: two entered through the right side of his upper back and one in the back of his right shoulder.
"My brother was shot three times in the back," Elly Saidi said.
Internal investigation
Staff Sgt. Carolle Dionne said the OPP cannot comment on the SIU's findings.
The OPP will conduct its own investigation to review policy procedures and to examine the conduct of the police officers involved, Dionne said.
"We take that obligation very seriously," she said.
Dionne wouldn't comment on what stage that internal investigation is at, but she said she understands the Saidi family's need for answers.
"Losing a loved one is never easy," she said. "And whatever avenue and assistance they can obtain to provide them those answers ... we just hope that they're able to to get that."