Canada - Regis Korchinski-Paquet, 29, dies from balcony fall, Toronto, 27 May 2020

Woman blockaded balcony door before deadly fall: Sources
''Regis Korchinski-Paquet plunged to her death after using a heavy appliance to blockade a balcony door from Toronto Police officers at her High Park highrise last Wednesday, sources told the Toronto Sun.

The 29-year-old woman died while trying unsuccessfully to vault to a neighbouring balcony shortly after she jammed the door with an appliance — possibly an air conditioning unit or a TV — according to sources. Korchinski-Paquet was alone on the balcony.

A senior officer at the scene ordered less experienced officers to remain inside the apartment and leave the troubled woman outside''
 
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/regis-korchinski-paquet-toronto-1.5596811
''The lawyer for the family of Regis Korchinski-Paquet told CBC News he and the family believe details reported in a story by the Toronto Sun about the moments leading up to the 29-year-old's death are an effort to sway public opinion around her case. ''

Family of Regis Korchinski-Paquet won't speak to SIU this week following apparent leak of details about incident: lawyer
''The family of a woman who fell to her death following an interaction with police will not speak with SIU investigators for the time being in the wake of the apparent leak of details about the incident to a Toronto newspaper.

The Toronto Sun published a story on Tuesday, which included a number of previously unreported details about an interaction between officers and 29-year-old Regis Korchinski-Paquet in the moments leading up to her death.''

“What this leak has done now is start to create a narrative where the public is going to say ‘Oh yeah, she ran to the balcony, she blocked herself in.’ That is what the public now believes because sources say it but the only source is the Toronto police,” Singh said. “This investigation is only a week old, it hasn’t even reached a full week yet and the fact that narrative is attempting to be shifted is very problematic. The family made a statement, the police made a statement and it was left at that. The investigation should have proceeded and the fact that you have news reporters alleging a version of events that the public is going to believe as true is highly problematic.”
 
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Just an opinion, but my understanding is that the woman, a gymnast, had epilepsy, depression, and became violent because of epilepsy. The family called police for help, something that had happened in the past. The family was put in the hallway so police could address the woman. My assumption, after listening to news, is that she tried to climb over the balcony to the neighbors balcony and fell. The family has tried to turn this into a racist event with police brutality, where there is perhaps some expectation of financial compensation, but so far this is nothing but tragic accident with wild imagination.
 
Just an opinion, but my understanding is that the woman, a gymnast, had epilepsy, depression, and became violent because of epilepsy. The family called police for help, something that had happened in the past. The family was put in the hallway so police could address the woman. My assumption, after listening to news, is that she tried to climb over the balcony to the neighbors balcony and fell. The family has tried to turn this into a racist event with police brutality, where there is perhaps some expectation of financial compensation, but so far this is nothing but tragic accident with wild imagination.
People have been very kind to the family..
Fundraisers for Toronto family of Regis Korchinski-Paquet top $400,000
''A started by Korchinski-Paquet’s sister, Renee Beals reached over $325,000 by the morning of June 2, more than tripling the initial goal of $100,000. Nearly 4,000 people had donated.''

“She was kind, beautiful and she will be missed beyond belief. We are asking the public to help with meeting are goal to get the proper justice we need.”

''A second fundraiser organized by JFR had a goal of $80,000 but reached more than $130,000 as of June 2.''
 
People have been very kind to the family..
Fundraisers for Toronto family of Regis Korchinski-Paquet top $400,000
''A *** started by Korchinski-Paquet’s sister, Renee Beals reached over $325,000 by the morning of June 2, more than tripling the initial goal of $100,000. Nearly 4,000 people had donated.''

“She was kind, beautiful and she will be missed beyond belief. We are asking the public to help with meeting are goal to get the proper justice we need.”

''A second fundraiser organized by JFR had a goal of $80,000 but reached more than $130,000 as of June 2.''

That's nice. They have lots of money now. They can use it to pay a lawyer, to buy a new house, whatever they want.
 
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/regis-korchinski-paquet-toronto-1.5596811
''The lawyer for the family of Regis Korchinski-Paquet told CBC News he and the family believe details reported in a story by the Toronto Sun about the moments leading up to the 29-year-old's death are an effort to sway public opinion around her case. ''

Family of Regis Korchinski-Paquet won't speak to SIU this week following apparent leak of details about incident: lawyer
''The family of a woman who fell to her death following an interaction with police will not speak with SIU investigators for the time being in the wake of the apparent leak of details about the incident to a Toronto newspaper.

The Toronto Sun published a story on Tuesday, which included a number of previously unreported details about an interaction between officers and 29-year-old Regis Korchinski-Paquet in the moments leading up to her death.''

“What this leak has done now is start to create a narrative where the public is going to say ‘Oh yeah, she ran to the balcony, she blocked herself in.’ That is what the public now believes because sources say it but the only source is the Toronto police,” Singh said.
“This investigation is only a week old, it hasn’t even reached a full week yet and the fact that narrative is attempting to be shifted is very problematic. The family made a statement, the police made a statement and it was left at that. The investigation should have proceeded and the fact that you have news reporters alleging a version of events that the public is going to believe as true is highly problematic.”

BBM

This story has been driving me crazy - TPS could not possibly have 'shoved' or 'pushed' this woman off her balcony in a city of 2 -3 million people, in broad daylight and not have anyone witness it.

As pointed out earlier, you cannot push someone off a balcony - they have to be lifted and thrown over. That would result in RKP screaming and fighting for her life. Which in turn would result in torn clothing and scratches among other evidence. At no time has anyone come forward to say they saw this. No one has said a TPS officer left the building with torn clothing, looking like they had been in a fight. The autopsy will show certain injuries - it is my understanding that someone jumping and someone being thrown off a balcony have different injuries - they land differently for one.

It was the mother and cousin that started the narrative 'she was shoved/pushed' from the balcony, now the family will not speak to SIU because a news article with info is causing a narrative to the contrary.

The job of the SIU is to investigate when injury/death occurs during an LE investigation. So speak to the investigators! Say what you have to say.

TPS hardly has clean hands imo - they have been thrown out of court so many times for lying on the stand I doubt anyone has the total number of times this has happened and not one was punished that I have ever read. But to go so far as to accuse them of murder? That can and has happened, but people witnessed it.

I get that the family is grieving, but imo they have to atone for this. They have caused horrendous upheaval with no evidence, only an accusation that they would prefer to believe. They have a lot of money now - I hope they apologize and move on. RKP fell due to circumstances she and only she created imo. I have empathy that this happened to one of their family members, but having trouble with sympathy due to what the family has done. It will take a lot to fix this.
 
I feel very sorry for that young woman, who suffered an episode and was not in her right mind. But the behaviour of her family is absolutely despicable, and they come off as opportunistic liars, trying to capitalise on what is going on in America right now. They are disgracing RKP's memory and I truly hope the officers involved file charges against them.

In my opinion, of course.
 
I feel very sorry for that young woman, who suffered an episode and was not in her right mind. But the behaviour of her family is absolutely despicable, and they come off as opportunistic liars, trying to capitalise on what is going on in America right now. They are disgracing RKP's memory and I truly hope the officers involved file charges against them.

In my opinion, of course.

Not sure if the family is trying to capitalize on anything, maybe they are. Idk.

Imo, they are trying to re-write what happened to RKP for their own purpose. Refusing to talk to those investigating what happened when LE was with RKP makes no sense and I think it's appalling that they stand by their 'story' and refuse to listen or be part of the solution.
 
The mother and sister must be in turmoil over this. If reporting is correct it started with an argument with sister over the t.v.. they now have to live with the fact that they called police which started the whole scenario.
 
June 11 2020
Funeral today for Regis Korchinski-Paquet, Toronto woman who fell from balcony - CityNews Toronto
''A funeral will be held today for the Toronto woman who fell to her death from a balcony while police were in her home.''

''Her mother has said she told police she wanted her daughter sent to a mental health hospital in Toronto.

The family says Korchinski-Paquet was an avid gymnast as a child and loved dancing, music and singing.

“Regis started her day everyday by texting her siblings ‘Good Morning, I love you!”’ the family said in her obituary.''
 
July 15 2020
Public memorial, Walk for Justice planned for Regis Korchinski-Paquet - CityNews Toronto
''Second autopsy is currently being conducted out of province and those results will be shared with the SIU
As the province’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU) continues to probe police involvement in the death of a woman who fell from the balcony of a high-rise building in May, a public memorial is being planned in her honour.

The memorial celebrating the life of Regis Korchinski-Paquet has been planned for July 25 and will take place outside the High Park building where she died.

Community organizations and advocates called for action for police accountability are expected to be among those who will speak.

Following the memorial, the first annual Regis Korchinski-Paquet Walk For Justice will take place. Details of the walk route will be released next week.''
 
July 25 2020
'Her life did matter:' Public memorial held for Regis Korchinski-Paquet
''A public memorial was held Saturday afteroon for Regis Korchinski-Paquet, the 29-year-old woman who fell to her death from a Toronto balcony while police were in her apartment two months ago.

More than 100 people gathered outside Korchinski-Paquet's apartment building at 100 High Park Avenue for the memorial and the first annual Regis Korchinski-Paquet Walk For Justice.''

image.jpg


The family, dressed in white, arrived at the memorial along with a horse-drawn carriage carrying a white casket.
image.jpg


"We have to give her a proper send-off," Renee said. "We just wanted her to know that we really really love her. We did this all for you. We love you, Regis."
 
Unrelated, just noting as the article references this case too.
Aug 21 2020
SIU investigating after 'person in crisis' dies during interaction with police - CityNews Toronto
''The Special Investigations Unit has been called in after a man died following an interaction with police in the former city of York.''

''In a late evening release, the SIU said police were called after reports a 66-year-old man was hanging off the balcony of the building. When police arrived, they went up to the ninth floor and began talking to the man from a neighbouring balcony. A short time later, the man fell to the ground.''

''This is the second time in less than three months in which the SIU has been summoned after a police encounter with an individual in crisis ended in their death.

The police watchdog is currently in the final stages of an investigation involving the death of Regis Korchinski-Paquet.''
 
Whatever happened to lead to this sad outcome, this family lost a loved one while trying to get her help. I'm sure her mother is beside herself with guilt. RKP shouldn't have died on that balcony, she shouldn't have been left outside alone in crisis. Police are not trained in mental health de-escalation and should not be the first ones on-scene to assess someone suffering a physical or mental health crisis.

Black people do not have the privilege of calling police to safely resolve the same problems white people call on these authorities to resolve. Knowing the reality Black folks may face when interacting with police, her mother must have been so desperate to get her help and had no other options immediately available to her. We've seen time and time again, hopeless 911 calls for help, usually made by a loving mother or father, that results in the death of a Black individual in crisis.

This family is grieving, they have every right to without being threatened with lawsuits. We have no basis for believing it was a simple accident that happened independently of negligence (someone in crisis was left on balcony alone, with police supervision, which somehow lead to her death). Had she not been pushed, are we supposed to be OK with the fact she was left alone in duress, with someone standing guard over her from inside the apartment, while she killed herself? Eagerly awaiting for the police to finish investigating themselves....

MOO.
 
Whatever happened to lead to this sad outcome, this family lost a loved one while trying to get her help. I'm sure her mother is beside herself with guilt. RKP shouldn't have died on that balcony, she shouldn't have been left outside alone in crisis. Police are not trained in mental health de-escalation and should not be the first ones on-scene to assess someone suffering a physical or mental health crisis.

Black people do not have the privilege of calling police to safely resolve the same problems white people call on these authorities to resolve. Knowing the reality Black folks may face when interacting with police, her mother must have been so desperate to get her help and had no other options immediately available to her. We've seen time and time again, hopeless 911 calls for help, usually made by a loving mother or father, that results in the death of a Black individual in crisis.

This family is grieving, they have every right to without being threatened with lawsuits. We have no basis for believing it was a simple accident that happened independently of negligence (someone in crisis was left on balcony alone, with police supervision, which somehow lead to her death). Had she not been pushed, are we supposed to be OK with the fact she was left alone in duress, with someone standing guard over her from inside the apartment, while she killed herself? Eagerly awaiting for the police to finish investigating themselves....

MOO.

Normally I would be the first one to agree if the police could or should have done better than they did. But there is a crucial element left out of your description that has been posted here with MSM sources.

Many articles state RKP barricaded herself on the balcony where no one could get to her. Not once did I read what she used as a barricade though. It has to be determined if the use of a barricade is true first before surmising that someone (police?) was standing guard over her from inside. I'm not convinced that busting through a barricade that RKP set up would have been helpful in the moment. Imo it would have instilled fear in her.

Leaving her alone seems to be what she wanted at that moment, so faulting TPS for complying seems unfair. What would a mental health professional have done in the moment?

According to the MSM sources RKP then tried to climb from her balcony to the one next door. Could an officer see her doing this? We don't know but in my experience an apartment balcony has a solid wall on either side of a sliding window that blocks the view other than through the glass window. She fell.

You are absolutely correct imo that bias exists within TPS against people of color - as well as LE in all provinces across Canada and the RCMP. I wish it did not since Canada promotes itself as accepting diversity in it's population. It isn't true imo and it isn't fair and it isn't necessary for people to have such an attitude.

This is a case imo where it did not matter what color the person was - trying to climb from one balcony to another is dangerous and the consequences could be fatal. It's sad that RKP lost her life that day, but facts are facts and they cannot and should not be rewritten to suit a particular person. Bringing color into this equation has no merit imo.
 
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Very lengthy.
No charges to be laid in death of Regis Korchinski-Paquet: SIU
''A total of five 911 calls were made by Korchinski-Paquet, her mother and brother.

The first of the five calls was placed at 5:13 p.m., when her mother, Claudette Beals-Clayton, told the dispatcher that her daughter and son were fighting.

Beals-Clayton said that her daughter was throwing bottles. She told the dispatcher Korchinski-Paquet had had a seizure earlier in the day and that the two had been fighting since. She said she wanted someone to come and take both of her children away.

“I seen it too many times and I can’t deal with it no more,” she told the dispatcher.

She described an ugly fight in which bottles and punches were thrown and knives pulled out.

“I just want the police to come and I don’t care where you take either one of them but I don’t ever want them back here. None of them. I don’t care where they go to live but they’re not coming here. I’m done,” the exasperated Beals-Clayton told 911 after leaving her own home to avoid the fight.

At 5:15 p.m., Korchinski-Paquet placed her own call and told the dispatcher that her brother had attacked her. She said she couldn’t breathe and needed an ambulance.

A short time later her brother, identified in the report as Civilian Witness #2, called and said his sister had “initiated the assault with two knives” and that he had defended himself.

He told the dispatcher that he was in the stairwell while his mother was in the corridor and his sister was in the apartment with two knives and broken bottles.

“CW #2 said this was not the first time this occurred, and that they fought over the television volume being too loud. He said his sister had two epileptic seizures that day, and that they have to leave the apartment after she experiences seizures so she can calm down. On this day, she had not calmed when they returned,” the report states.

He told the dispatcher that his sister was epileptic and had been smoking weed for her seizures, but was not on any other drugs and did not have any other diagnosed mental issues.

At 5:22 p.m., Korchinski-Paquet placed a second call to 911 and said she was being attacked by both her mother and brother.

“When asked if anyone needed an ambulance, Ms. Korchinski-Paquet said, ‘I’m not sure. I can’t even speak right now but my mother she just attacked me and so did my brother, ’” the report states. “She said when she told her brother to turn off the television, he jumped up and started punching her in the head and choking her. When asked if any weapons were involved, Ms. Korchinski-Paquet said, ‘Yes. They – they – they pulled out knives.’”

She added that her mother and brother had “been drinking all morning and smoking weed” and that she herself was only taking magnesium for her seizures.

The final call was placed by Korchinski-Paquet at 5:30 p.m. when police were already on scene.

She reiterated that she had been attacked and then said she needed to pee before ending the call.

At 5:32 p.m., the subject officer reported that officers were on-scene with two individuals, that no knives were present, and an ambulance was not required.

Seven minutes later one of the witness officers reported that Korchinski-Paquet was “scaling the balconies here.”

Around 35 seconds after that, he added “The daughter made her way out to the patio and climbed over the railing and it appears she’s trying to get to the neighbour’s unit. She’s hanging on the side of the patio.”

At 5:41 p.m., three separate calls to 911 reported seeing someone fall from a balcony.

Korchinski-Paquet was pronounced dead at the scene at 6:05 p.m.''
 
What a mess that day was for everyone involved. No one could have seen what was coming - cannot see that TPS could have the smallest amount responsibility for RKP losing her life with her own actions.

Imo, RKP's mom needs to stop blaming TPS for her daughters death . There are plenty of cases one can take up with TPS where they did a lousy job. This just isn't one of them unfortunately.
 
WARMINGTON: Korchinski-Paquet case takes toll on first responders' mental health | Toronto Sun
''The community grieves for her family. Along with that we can’t forget the toll this fatal call had on the dozen emergency services people responding, including six police officers. They are all hurting. They are devastated.

Officer morale is already shattered and the narrative they are racist, lacking empathy and don’t have the skills to handle mental health crisis calls, are all sticking — even when the truth emerges.

“There were allegations in the wake of Ms. Korchinski-Paquet’s death that she was pushed off the balcony by the police. The evidence establishes that this did not occur,” SIU director Joseph Martino said Wednesday.''

''No wonder police officers suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and mental health issues that in some cases result in suicide as we have seen in 2020 with the sudden deaths of officers Mike Austin and Jian Liang''.

What could police have done differently? Experts say SIU report on Regis Korchinski-Paquet’s death raises questions on handling people in crisis
What could police have done differently? Experts say SIU report on Regis ''Korchinski-Paquet’s death raises questions on handling people in crisis

Mental health experts say there are many unknowns on why she wanted to flee to her neighbour’s apartment before she fell off the balcony. And they wonder if the responding officers were adequately trained to de-escalate individuals who are afraid and in a crisis.''
 
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