Chatham-Kent OPP officer under investigation of Professional Standards Branch

OPP officer Sean O’Rourke was acquitted in the courts earlier this week but is still under investigation by the OPP’s Professional Standards Branch.

A Chatham-Kent OPP officer is under investigation of the OPP’s Professional Standards Branch after being acquitted of manslaughter earlier in the week.

Const. Sean O’Rourke was acquitted in the death of 24-year-old Nicholas Grieves, who was killed on July 7, 2021 while behind the wheel of his car.

O’Rourke, who’s now 58, was charged with manslaughter and found not guilty on Tuesday.

Court learned that the officer was responding to a gas theft and when he tried to pull Grieves over on Highway 401, the car struck the police cruiser, spun out, and ended up in the ditch.

The court ruled there was a serious threat to O’Rourke’s safety and his gun was fired accidentally.

O’Rourke is still suspended from duty with pay, pending the outcome of the investigation by the Professional Standards Branch.