Toronto mayor says he hopes investigation into woman's death will bring answers

Toronto's mayor says he hopes an investigation into the death of a woman who reportedly fell from her 24th-floor balcony while police were in her home will give the community the answers it needs.

Toronto's mayor says he hopes an investigation into the death of a woman who reportedly fell from her 24th-floor balcony while police were in her home will give the community the answers it needs.

John Tory offered condolences Thursday to the family and friends of Regis Korchinski-Paquet, and said he knows questions have been raised about her death. 

Tory says he supports the investigation being carried out by the province's police watchdog and hopes it will shed some light on Wednesday's events "as soon as possible."

The Special Investigations Unit announced it was launching a probe on Wednesday evening, hours after the 29-year-old woman fell to her death.

The watchdog agency and Toronto's police chief also acknowledged concerns in the community regarding what happened to Korchinski-Paquet.

At a news conference, Korchinski-Paquet's family questioned the role of officers in her death.

"I asked police yesterday if they could take my daughter to CAMH (the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health), and my daughter ended up dead," her mother, Claudette Beals-Clayton said. "So I don't understand."

Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders said officers were called to the apartment for allegations of an assault.

Tory is urging anyone who witnessed what happened to contact the Special Investigations Unit.

"I know that any delay in getting answers is incredibly frustrating for people, myself included, who want to know what happened but this independent investigation is necessary to provide our community with all the facts and to ensure full accountability and transparency," Tory said in a statement. 

The Special Investigations Unit said police went inside the apartment Wednesday afternoon after receiving a call for a domestic complaint and noticed the woman on the balcony.

The SIU said the woman fell from the balcony a short time later and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Both police and the SIU say they cannot comment further while the investigation is active.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 28, 2020.

The Canadian Press