The Special Investigations Unit said it had reasonable grounds to believe Const. Calvin Au, who was off-duty at the time, committed criminal offences in the death of 19-year-old Chadd Facey.
“Later that day, Mr. Facey was transported to hospital by ambulance where he was subsequently pronounced deceased,” the SIU wrote in a statement.
Au is charged with one count of manslaughter and one count of aggravated assault. He is set to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice in Brampton on March 2.
Lawyers representing Facey’s family said the Brampton teen suffered serious injuries, including to his head, as the result of an alleged assault by Au.
Falconers LLP wrote that Facey’s mother, Fay Fagan, said her family has been waiting a long time to find out what happened.
“It has been clear to our family that there was some kind of misconduct that had occurred in respect of Chadd’s death,” she said. “We are happy to finally see that the officer is being held accountable for his actions.”
Asha James, the lawyer representing Facey’s family, said the charges represent an important first step for the family’s understanding of what happened.
“This family has been suffering endlessly for two years, trying to understand what happened to Chadd and we are content that today, those responsible will be held to account for his death.”
Au’s lawyer, Peter Brauti, said he and his client “are obviously disappointed that the SIU laid these charges.”
The force said it immediately notified the SIU once it learned in August 2021 about the off-duty incident, and will continue to fully co-operate through the court proceedings.
“Any recommendations from these investigations with respect to procedures, governance and conduct will be carefully considered,” said Social Media Relations Officer Victor Kwong.
“As the matter is before the court, the service will have no further comment at this time.”
“We will continue to ensure our member is treated fairly throughout the process,” he wrote in a statement.