The Independent Investigations Office of B.C. (IIO) says two police officers were not negligent when they were initially unable to locate Langley teenager Carson Crimeni in a park as he overdosed from drugs.
The four-page IIO report released Monday by chief civilian director Ronald MacDonald, Q.C., states two police officers “acted completely reasonably in the circumstances” and “played no role” in Crimeni’s “tragic” death.
On August 7, Crimeni was “showing clear signs of distress” in a Snapchat video reported by one teenager to a parent, who then called 911 upon being told Crimeni may have taken 15 ecstasy pills (MDMA, or “Molly”).
The IIO investigation looked into the police response that followed.
Just after 8 p.m., police were dispatched to the Walnut Grove skate park, and two officers arrived at 8:25 p.m. Six minutes later, one officer reported via radio that nobody was at the park. The officers were not entirely clear if the video was a prank or when exactly it took place, the report states. At 8:43 the officers left for another call.
At 10:39 p.m., a second 911 call came in after Crimeni was spotted alone in “serious medical distress” near a baseball diamond located 650 metres away from the skate park. At that point, police and paramedics responded and located the teenager and took him to the hospital, where he died.
MacDonald determined there was nothing at the skate park that could have indicated to police that Crimeni, or the group of youth who had been with him, had moved to the baseball diamond.
Crimeni’s death sparked much discussion within the community over drug use and bullying, as family members believe he was given the drugs and pressured to take them. As he went into distress, the group filmed and mocked him, according to reports.
The report is based on statements from two paramedics, nine civilian witnesses, police dispatch records and 911 audio recordings. The two police officers did not provide evidence to the IIO.
- Graeme Wood
