Family Declares Toronto Cops Accountable For Black Lady’s Fatal Fall
The household of a Black woman who passed away in Toronto Wednesday after falling from a veranda is alleging police are responsible for her death.
In a series of videos published to Instagram Wednesday, a male who identified himself as the cousin of Regis Korchinski-Paquet, 29, said she was eliminated by police after being thrown from a 24 th-floor terrace of a high-rise at 100 High Park Avenue. The videos revealed what appeared to be a body covered in a sheet behind cops tape on the apartment complex premises.
“The authorities threw my cousin off the structure,” he said.
The circumstance is being investigated by the Unique Examinations System (SIU), a company that investigates authorities occurrences involving a death, major injury, or sex assault claims.
In a short declaration, the SIU stated Toronto authorities were called to the apartment building for a “domestic occurrence” at around 5: 15 p.m. Wednesday.
“While officers were inside an apartment or condo unit on the 24 th floor, they observed a female on the veranda. A short time later on, the female fell from the veranda to the ground listed below. She was noticable deceased at the scene.”
The structure where Regis Korchinski-Paquet died. Photo by Sadiya Ansari
In a press conference Thursday, Toronto authorities Chief Mark Saunders said the force is complying with the SIU however legally can’t comment openly on the case.
“I’ll prompt the public to please wait on the facts to come out,” he stated.
Saunders said he is worried about the spread of “misinformation,” in the absence of a detailed declaration from cops.
He said police were called to the scene for an attack.
“It sounded rather frenzied. There was a need for police presence to be there,” he stated.
The SIU stated it knows the claims versus the police “made by particular member of the family of the deceased and will be looking to speak to anyone with info about these allegations.”
The SIU stated witnesses can call 1-800-787-8529 and that a post-mortem will be performed Thursday afternoon.
In a since-deleted video, Korchinski-Paquet’s cousin said Korchinski-Paquet’s mother called authorities to de-escalate an argument at the home.
He said authorities entered the unit with Korchinski-Paquet however would not let other relative inside.
He stated cops then returned out and informed family members that Korchinski-Paquet had climbed into the next unit. He said authorities then went into the next apartment system over and came out after a few minutes to inform the household that Korchinski-Paquet was “on the ground.”
No member of the family seemed inside the system when Korchinski-Paquet fell, and it’s unclear if anyone saw how the fall occurred from the ground or another system. In the videos, her cousin and mom did not state how they came to the conclusion that authorities pressed her.
Korchinski-Paquet’s cousin stated police told local news outlet CP24, which reported on the death, not to participate in the scene since it was a suicide. He accused cops of pressing a “false narrative.”
He stated Korchinski-Paquet was not suicidal.
Talking To Global News, Korchinski-Paquet’s uncle Sam Renda said his niece has epileptic seizures, which is why cops might have been called.
He stated his niece had actually been pleading “‘ mom please can be found in, please been available in'” when she remained in the unit with police, “and after that all of a sudden things simply went quiet.”
Renda stated “it just makes no sense to me how she would jump. She would never do that. She would never do that.”
He stated there were around eight reacting officers inside the system with Korchinski-Paquet, and that they left after she was up to the ground and were replaced by new officers.
“Everybody desires responses. if it was an accident, so be it, but at the end of the day it has to be examined,” he said.
In another video, Korchinski-Paquet’s mother Claudette Payton, stated “authorities killed my daughter, can be found in my apartment and pushed her off the veranda and told CP24 not to come here that it’s a suicide, but the cops eliminated her.”
A heart-shaped memorial framed by child blue streamers was set up outside the building on Thursday. Friends and neighbours laid lilacs, daisies and lilies while some passing by simply stopped to take it in.
Candida fungus Martinez came in from outside of the city to spread flowers and pay tribute to her good friend. “I just feel so unfortunate about what occurred and I’m truly going to miss her,” Martinez said. “I actually spoke to her a few days ago and I never believed this would occur.”
Martinez fulfilled Korchinski-Paquet while they interacted at a grocery store, and they remained close prior to she moved from King City to Toronto. She also discussed Korchinski-Paquet’s struggle with epilepsy. “Often [the seizures would] be so bad she would fall and bang her head somewhere,” said Martinez. “She ‘d have a contusion on her due to the fact that she ‘d just drop.”
Inquired about a demonstration planned in light of Korchinski-Paquet’s death, Saunders stated “it would be damaging and sad if we have actually unrest based upon outright false information.”
“Historically when you stroll things back when the truth comes out it’s far various that what the perceived truths are today.”
A 2018 report from the Ontario Human being Rights Commission found that Black people were most likely to be killed or injured by Toronto police than white people.
The report revealed that in between 2013 and 2017, a Black individual was nearly 20 times most likely than a white individual to be involved in a deadly shooting by Toronto police. Black people made up 60 percent of deadly encounters with Toronto cops and 70 percent of fatal shootings, regardless of accounting for less than 9 percent of Toronto’s population.
Korchinski-Paquet’s death comes at a time when demonstrations are appearing in the U.S. over the death of George Floyd, an unarmed Black guy. A white Minneapolis police officer pinned Floyd’s neck down with his knee as Floyd repeatedly said “I can’t breathe.” Floyd became unresponsive and passed away. Earlier this month, 2 Georgia males were charged for stalking Ahmaud Arbery and shooting him dead in February. Arbery, a 25- year-old Black man, had been jogging at the time.
The killers weren’t charged till video of the shooting went viral.
Household of female who died in Toronto balcony fall desire answers from police
The family of Regis Korchinski-Paquet is requiring responses from cops after the 29- year-old lady passed away after falling from a 24 th-floor house veranda.
Ontario’s police watchdog, the Unique Investigations Unit, said Toronto Police officers responded to a domestic complaint at 100 High Park Ave., north of Bloor St. W., at 5: 15 p.m. Wednesday.
The SIU says preliminary evidence suggests authorities entered into a house and discovered the female on the veranda.
In a release, the unit states a brief time later on the female fell from the terrace to the ground listed below. She died at the scene.
The family’s lawyer Knia Singh informed reporters outside the building Thursday Korchinski-Paquet, over the past 5 years, began experiencing epilepsy and mental health episodes that often needed assistance from cops.
Singh stated Korchinski-Paquet’s mom called cops around 5: 15 p.m. to the High Park house after a domestic dispute.
” I asked the police if they might take my daughter to CAMH (The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health), and my daughter ended up dead,” said Claudette Korchinski- Beals.
When cops reached the household’s system, Singh said officers satisfied Korchinski-Paquet, her bro and mother in the hallway. Korchinski-Paquet “exchanged” words with the officers as they walked down the hall and after that she informed cops she needed to use the restroom. The attorney said the lady’s bro saw “numerous” officers following her and was stopped after he tried to enter.
The attorney stated, within a minute or two, the household heard a commotion and Korchinski-Paquet cry, “Mommy, assistance. Mama, aid. Mom, help.”
Regis Korchinski-Paquet. (FACEBOOK)
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” Came into my home and pushed her off the balcony and told CP24 not to come here, that it’s a suicide, however the cops eliminated her,” she stated.
— Gord Reward (@gordperks) May 28, 2020
Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders released a statement Thursday– an uncommon relocation as authorities services frequently do not comment once the SIU has taken over the investigation.
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— With files by The Canadian Press
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