THUNDER BAY -- The president of the Thunder Bay Police Association (TBPA) is glad to see more information from the province’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU) about the 911 calls that preceded the death of a 21-year-old woman in Thunder Bay.
Jenna Ostberg from Bearskin Lake First Nation was found dead in a Ray Boulevard residence in the early hours of the morning of December 30.
Colin Woods said Friday that the clarification helped paint a better picture of what transpired that day.
“As much as we want to tell people what happened, the police association can't because of obvious restrictions,” Woods said. “It was just really frustrating and disheartening that so many people from the public jumped on us to point the finger and say that something bad happened without knowing all the facts.”
Woods said he was disappointed how many politicians decided to comment on an issue where they didn't have all of the facts.
“The general public, I get it, not everybody likes the police and that's fine. But when you have people in political positions, including some members of the NDP, that decided to comment on it and call it what they thought it was when they didn't have the facts, that's where it gets frustrating.
"You expect people like that to be in a position to wait and see what the real story is and withhold comment.”
The new details Thursday clarified that after reviewing the police communications recordings, the SIU confirmed the first call "was not in relation to violence in the home involving the woman."
On Jan. 3, the SIU initially reported that Thunder Bay Police had received a 911 call about a domestic disturbance, followed by a second call cancelling the request for police.
“Our members are trying every day to do a hard job to serve everybody. And then an incident happens that we can't explain right away, but then to just to be attacked and called out for something that people don't fully understand - it's tough," he said.
The investigation remains active. Woods said his members will respect the process.
Woods represents over 350 members within the TBPA.
