Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit, the province’s police watchdog, is continuing its investigation into what happened last Wednesday when 29-year-old Regis Korchinski-Paquet fell to her death from the 24th floor of her Toronto highrise apartment.
In a news release on Monday, the SIU said it had reviewed security camera footage and interviewed police officers who were in the highrise last Wednesday, but neither the interviews nor the footage will be made public for now.
“While the investigation is ongoing, the details … will not be released in an effort to ensure the memories of other potential witnesses are not tainted,” the SIU said.
The SIU said it has interviewed six police officers and four civilian witnesses, adding that it expects to interview the family later this week.
Korchinski-Paquet’s death came as Toronto police were investigating a domestic incident in the building and questions about what happened have been swirling since — with her family, community advocates and some politicians asking what exactly happened in the moments leading up to her fall.
A relative of Regis Korchinski-Paquet speaks to the crowd gathered outside Toronto Police Headquarters as demonstrators take part in a rally protesting Regis’ death in downtown Toronto on Saturday. (Chris Young/THE CANADIAN PRESS)
Her cousin and mother took to social media following her death, initially claiming she was pushed off her balcony by police.
However, in a statement released on Saturday, Knia Singh, the family’s lawyer, said family members are now “waiting on evidence from the investigation before any further conclusions can be made,” adding that statements made prior to May 28, last Thursday, are not part of the official Korchinski-Paquet statement.
An online petition calling for transparency in the investigation has over 161,000 signatures, and on Saturday thousands of people demonstrated in Toronto, in part to demand answers about how she died.
With files from CBC News (Shanifa Nasser), RCI
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