Ontario's police watchdog charged three officers in the shooting death of a one-a-half year-old boy..On Nov. 26, 2020, OPP officers were made aware a father had abducted his son from the municipality of Trent Lakes. .The officers located a pickup truck and attempted to stop it. As an officer was laying down a spike belt, the man's truck collided with an OPP cruiser and a civilian vehicle, seriously injuring the officer..Three officers then shot at the car, which contained both the father and child. The driver was airlifted to a hospital in serious condition, where he died a week later, while the child, identified as as 18-month-old Jameson Shapiro, died on the scene..The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) has been investigating the incident since then..The SIU said three OPP constables, Nathan Vanderheyden, Kenneth Pengelly and Grason Cappus, have each been charged with one count of manslaughter and one count of criminal negligence causing death in relation to the child's passing..OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique said in a Wednesday statement when tragedy occurs, "it affects the families, the community and our whole service.."It is devastating when an innocent life is lost during an incident," he said. "We thank members of the public who awaited the findings of the SIU, rather than speculating on what occurred. We respect the mandate and responsibilities of the SIU and will not comment further as this matter proceeds through the appropriate court processes.".The agency says the officers are set to appear in a Lindsay, Ont., court October 6.
