Teen was trying to get his life on track before fatal Niagara fall: youth worker
The man who died last night after a police chase ended in the suspect and the officer going over a retaining wall into the Niagara Gorge has been identified as Ryan Dube, 18, according to the Boys and Girls Club of Niagara.
JoAnne Turner, the executive director of the youth agency, said Mr. Dube had been staying at the agency’s group home on Ontario Ave., two blocks west of where the pair fell into the gorge, and that Victim Services Niagara had been at the home till 1:30 a.m. to provide grief counselling to the staff and youth at the home.
The incident happened on River Rd. between Eastwood St. and Otter St. shortly after 5 p.m. Tuesday when an officer with the Niagara Regional Police Service was chasing a suspect, according to a statement from Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit.
“A short time later, they both went over the gorge wall and into the Niagara gorge,” said the statement.
The SIU is a provincial arms-length agency that investigates incidents of death, serious injury or allegations of sexual assault involving police. They have assigned seven investigators and two forensic investigators to probe the circumstances surrounding Mr. Dube’s death.
Mr. Dube’s body was recovered just before 9 p.m. Ms. Turner described him as a well-liked, good-natured and respectful individual.
“It was a shock. Very, very difficult to take. It was just so tragic,” said Ms. Turner. “He’ll be very sadly missed.”
She said Mr. Dube had left the group home with a friend around 5 p.m. on what had previously been an uneventful day for him.
“The friend had come back to the residence and said that a cruiser had stopped, and an officer was talking to him and he fled.”
Shortly after, staff at the home became very aware of the rescue efforts near them and became fearful that it was Mr. Dube who had gone over the wall. It wasn’t until much later in the evening that they got confirmation from another youth agency – listed as Mr. Dube’s next of kin – that it was indeed him at the bottom of the gorge.
“The youth were very, very distraught to learn that it was him,” said Ms. Turner.
She said Mr. Dube was originally from the St. Catharines or Niagara region. It is not known if he was in touch with any family members, but the Boys and Girls Club is waiting to see if relatives will come forward to make funeral arrangements.
The deceased never had any issues of violence, although he sometimes had trouble making the 11 p.m. curfew, said Ms. Turner. Mr. Dube was trying to establish independence and had recently applied for several jobs.
She added that the police officer may have apprehended him because he was on probation for an unknown matter and may have been violating the terms of his probation.
Mr. Dube had been staying on and off at the group home since November 2011. Ms. Turner did not know where he was living while not at the shelter.
The male officer in the incident suffered a broken femur, according to the SIU statement. He was rescued using a bucket that was lowered into the gorge and transported by air ambulance on a stretcher to Hamilton General Hospital, the nearest trauma centre.
Jennifer Tracey, spokeswoman for ORNGE, said the officer was in serious condition. He was first taken by land ambulance to a local park nearby where the air ambulance had landed. She said the ride to the hospital is about 10 to 15 minutes. The helicopter left the scene at about 7:50 p.m.
Niagara Police confirmed that the officer’s name is Constable Jacob Smits and that he underwent emergency surgery. They refused to comment on the incident or confirm any of the details. Spokesman Derek Watson said only that the SIU was investigating.
Ermanno Ceniccola, 43, lives just one street away from where the officer and the suspect fell. He is the owner of a local IT company MediaVice and was working from home when he heard a lot of sirens. He went over to check out the commotion. As he watched the rescue unfold, he spoke to other witnesses on the scene who told him the suspect was a man in his twenties living on River St.
“They came running from a residence that was on River Rd. facing the gorge. They both crossed the street and jumped over,” Mr. Ceniccola said. “He was pursuing the suspect but for some reason, and this is probably strange to most people around here, is why the officer would have jumped over the wall too knowing how dangerous it is there. It’s kind of a mystery.”
It is not known if the police officer and suspect actually jumped or fell over the wall.
Mr. Ceniccola said a police cruiser was parked in the driveway of the home where the suspect and the officer came running from. He said a neighbour told him the house “is known for trouble.”
This is the second time in about two months that ORNGE has had to transport someone from the gorge. On Victoria Day, a man was rescued after attempting suicide.
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