Three Canadian law enforcement officers have been charged with involuntary manslaughter in the shooting death of an infant of 17 months in 2020, authorities announced on Wednesday.
The little boy Jameson Shaprio was shot and killed in November 2020 when Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officers attempted to stop a truck driven by the father of the boy in the town of Kawartha Lakes, according to The Peterborough Examiner.
Police said the man had kidnapped his son from a house in Trent Lakes, about 18 miles away.
The father of 33 years old crashed the truck into a police patrol at a roadblock, seriously injuring OPP officer Chris Dobbs, who was placing spike strips on the road.
A fight broke out after the accident and three officers opened fire on the vehicle, fatally shooting young Jameson and his father.
Joseph Martino, director of the Ontario Provincial Police Special Investigations Unit, told the Examiner that there are “reasonable grounds to believe that three Ontario Provincial Police officers committed criminal offences” in relation to the child’s death.
OPP agents Nathan Vanderheyden, Kenneth Pengelly and Grason Cappus were charged with involuntary manslaughter and criminal negligence causing death.
They are scheduled to appear in court in Lindsay on October 6, the newspaper reported.
“When a tragedy like this occurs, it affects families, the community and our entire service. It is devastating when an innocent life is lost during an incident,” OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique said in a statement.
A GoFundMe page has been created to help Jameson’s mother , Tara Shapiro, who has been left with two autistic children as a single mother.
“In loving memory of Jameson Micheal, an eighteen month old boy who tragically lost his life on 25 November 2020 in Kawartha Lakes, ON. Jameson was a bubbly boy who was known to share his warmth and joy with everyone around him. His smile will be remembered by all who experienced it”, notes the fundraising page.
Until the moment of publishing this note, the site had $67,000 Canadian dollars of $75,000 that seeks to obtain, that is, some $57,004 Dollars.
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