No charges against police in death of Cape Breton teen after foot chase
No charges will be laid against police officers in the Dec. 28, 2016, death of a 15-year-old boy following a foot chase in Sydney Mines, N.S., says the province's police watchdog.
Kobe Clarence Pink died when he fell off a cliff following a party at a Peck Street house. His body was discovered Jan. 1, 2017, during a shoreline search along Pitt Street.
"His death was simply a tragic accidental death, when he fell from the cliff into the water," Ron MacDonald, director of the Nova Scotia Serious Incident Response Team, said Thursday.
"The reason for the investigation was that there was some evidence there could have been contact between the police and the individual."
But that was not the case and there were no grounds to consider any charges against the police officers, he added.
Police responded to bear-spray complaint
The Pink family was kept "very involved" during the investigation, MacDonald said.
"In as much as it was a terrible tragedy, they understand that's what it was — it was an accidental death caused by an unfortunate set of circumstances."
CBC News was unable to reach the Pink family for comment.
The investigation found that the teen was with a group of other young people at the Sydney Mines residence when Cape Breton Regional Police showed up to investigate a bear-spray complaint,
The boy, who was hit by the bear spray, took off from the home with some friends. They had been drinking and were underage, the SIRT report said.
'Death caused by drowning'
"Three ran and hid in trees behind the house, while the 15-year-old ran toward neighbouring houses approximately 160 metres away. When police saw a male run off, they gave chase believing he may be the suspect. However, they were unable to find him and returned to the house about four minutes later," the report said.
"The house is not far from the shoreline, which is jagged and consists of a high cliff. The investigation concluded that the 15-year-old, who was not familiar with the area, fell from the cliff into the water and drowned.
"The medical examiner confirmed his death was caused by drowning, and he had no injuries other than those caused after his death while in the water."
Police had no contact with boy
Evidence confirmed "there was no contact between the police and the young male," the investigation found.
"The police were justified in attempting to catch up to the male as it was reasonable to believe he could have been responsible for the discharge of the bear spray or had information relevant to the investigation."
SIRT is responsible for investigating all serious incidents involving police in Nova Scotia.
