NOT an Assault - a Struggle as Michael's wife attempted to keep him at home !! 

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• The officer’s notes from the warrantless search of Michael and Marianne’s residents indicate multiple times that there were “no visible injuries” & “no sign of struggle”.  In fact, any officer that interacted with Michael’s wife and sister in law that morning, and/or entered the residence – indicated the same:

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EMS call by DRP for Marianne & her sister – when asked the officer indicates no physical injuries – mostly upset: 

EMS Report - Indicates NO injuries:  

DRP PC Jermain Griffin - FOI Statement indicates NO injuries

DRP Det. Cst. Lenarts hand written notes also indicate no sign of struggle in house

    Additionally, the pathologist who performed Michael's autopsy, Dr. Michael Pickup, told us in our initial meeting with him in March of 2014 that there were no marks (offensive or defensive) on Michael’s hands - it is also indicated in the report that Michael had no marks on his hands. 

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    This could indicate that he (Michael) was NOT involved in ANY altercation and also rebut that he assaulted OR hit anyone.

In the Canadian criminal justice system everyone charged with an offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty.

    We complained multiple times about this:  

April 11, 2014 @ 9:01 am – email from Marianne MacIsaac to Jon Ansell (SIU)

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    Mr Ansell my name is Marianne MacIsaac I am the wife of Michael MacIsaac who was shot and killed by a Durham Regional Police officer on December 2 2013. 

    This was not a "domestic " dispute my husband had  suffered a complex partial seizure and i was restraining him from leaving the home
 

    *   That the SIU was with the family at Ajax Hospital

    Not true SIU was not at Ajax Hospital with us , SIU only showed up at St Michaels Hospital      in Toronto
 
    *   That the two women sustained minor injuries

    Not true we sustained NO injuries  (we specifically told the 911 operator we did not need          an ambulance sent to our home) however Durham Police took it upon themselves to send        paramedics

April 11, 2014 @ 4:20 pm – email Winslow Taylor (SIU) to Marianne MacIsaac 

    I will look into this concern further and try to ascertain some information for you as soon        as possible.

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April 11, 2014 @ 11.22 am – email from Joanne MacIsaac to Winslow Taylor (SIU)

    We have many concerns Winslow – and I am sure you will tell me that you will explain              when you see us – but, some of this – including Jon Ansell’s video interview at 12:43 pm        on Dec. 2nd …. The things he said to the reporter are unbelievable – this is very upsetting      to our family.  …. None of those things are accurate and painted a tarnished image of the        VICTIM in this case.  These are not written things Winslow, we have the interview tape and      I am sure you can access yourself on line.

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April 11, 2014 @ 12:09 pm email Winslow Taylor to Joanne MacIsaac

    So let me start- as for the statement provided by Jon Ansell.  I will review what was said so      I can answer your question appropriately when I can. 

May 15, 2014 @ 4 pm – email Joseph Martino, Counsel SIU to Marianne MacIsaac

    Jon and I carefully reviewed the media clips in question.  He is seen addressing media at        the scene in the wake of this incident.  As I explained to Ms MacIsaac, this is not unusual,        particularly in the case of police shootings which attract lots of media attention.  On these      occasions, whether it’s an investigator on scene or our media person at the office, and            sometimes both, we endeavor to release basic information to the public through the media      while being careful not to say anything that could compromise the investigation.                      Judgment must be exercised so as not to release any information that could either be              inaccurate or could come back to harm the investigative process.  Of course, we are not          always perfect in this effort.  However, in this case, it appears from our perspective that          Mr. Ansell did a fairly good job. 

    Of course, we are always learning and striving to be better at what we do.  The concerns          you have expressed remind us, for example, of the delicate balance that must be struck in      our initial statements to the public about our investigations.  Particularly in police                    shooting cases, the public interest dictates that we address the media to some extent              while being careful not to say anything that could compromise the investigation or cause        needless pain or anxiety to the families.  This balancing act is made trickier by the fact            that we are often working with limited information at the time.  While we try to strike a              reasonable balance on these occasions, there will always be room for improvement.  What      I can tell you is that we are not here to be a mouthpiece for the police version of events.          You have our assessment of Mr. Ansell’s comments in the attached email.

     We - Michael's family - feel the need to address the SIU statement   / allegation that Michael had assaulted 2 women.  This was a medical   emergency NOT a domensic assault.