Police under fire for negligence in teen hockey player's death investigation
Police officers in York, Ontario have been found negligent for failing to properly investigate the death of teen hockey player Ben Teague back in 2019.
In September 2019, 17-year-old Ben Teague, a hockey player with the Oakville Rangers Midget Double-A team, tragically died during a weekend team-building event at a YMCA camp. Now, police officers in York, Ontario, have been found negligent in how they handled the investigation.
After Ben's death, his parents filed a lawsuit in 2022 against the Oakville Rangers, the team's coaches, the Ontario Minor Hockey Association, and the YMCA camp. The lawsuit is still awaiting trial. In 2023, the parents also filed a complaint with the Office of the Independent Police Review Director (OIPRD), accusing York police of failing to properly investigate the incident. The OIPRD completed its review in October 2023, but the findings have only recently been made public. According to the OIPRD, four York Regional Police officers did not isolate or interview witnesses, which was deemed negligent.
On the night before his death, Ben and some teammates, aged 16 to 17, were drinking. Early the next morning, Ben complained of severe leg pain and told his coaches he had consumed alcohol. He was taken to Brampton Civic Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on September 14, 2019. The cause of death was determined to be acute myocardial injury linked to recent alcohol consumption.
...the cause of Ben's death was determined as acute myocardial injury with necrosis associated with recent alcohol consumption."
The coaches involved stated that the team had a strict no-alcohol policy and that all players, including Ben, were aware of it. They argue that they provided reasonable supervision, given the players' age and experience.
The four officers found negligent in the investigation are Detective Sergeants Heather Bentham and Kenneth Golding, Detective John Loughry, and Sergeant Robert Worthman. It's unclear whether they have faced any disciplinary action, and if so, whether it would be made public. Additionally, a third-party investigation into the incident and the coaches is being conducted on behalf of Hockey Canada.
Source: CTV NewsPolice found negligent in investigation of death of teenaged hockey player
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