By Kezia Royer-Burkett, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
In the wake of the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) decision not to lay charges against the two Hamilton police officers involved in the November 9, 2024, death of Erixon Kabera, a Hamilton resident and well-known community leader, questions of transparency, accountability, and public trust in policing have once again come to the forefront.
Though the incident occurred outside of Halton Region, the impact of Kabera’s death and the frustration expressed by his family and friends in the aftermath offer a sobering opportunity for reflection across jurisdictions. For Burlington and Halton Region residents, this tragedy presents a moment to examine how our local police service approaches transparency, especially in situations involving serious injury or death.
“As I’m sure you can appreciate, the Halton Regional Police Service cannot comment on an SIU investigation involving a separate police service,” said Constable Ryan Anderson of the Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS) in an email to Burlington Local News.
Still, Anderson emphasized the local service’s own procedures: “The SIU would be contacted by the HRPS to conduct an investigation into circumstances involving police and civilians that have resulted in serious injury, death, allegations of sexual assault, or the discharge of a firearm at a person. Depending on the circumstance, the HRPS may also conduct an investigation parallel to the SIU.”
Transparency, he added, is something HRPS strives to uphold within the limits of legislation.
“When it comes to an HRPS investigation, our service is as forthcoming with information to both the media and public as possible without jeopardizing that investigation and the court process while also respecting legislation surrounding the release of information.”
Anderson clarified that while the HRPS does not have its own internal forensic laboratory, it works closely with the Centre of Forensic Sciences (CFS), a leading facility in Ontario for scientific investigations. The CFS is accredited by the American National Standards Institute National Accreditation Board (ANAB) and is recognized as one of the most comprehensive forensic science facilities in North America.
Despite these safeguards, for the family of Erixon Kabera, the release of the SIU report brought only deeper wounds.
“So painful waiting for the SIU report, and when it came out, it was painful as well,” said Parfait Karekezi, Kabera’s younger brother. “We trusted the SIU to do a fair investigation and to confirm what we told them in our statements. We thought the report would match who Erixon was. We were shocked by the results.”
Kabera, who led Black Lives Matter marches in 2020 and regularly taught de-escalation tactics to youth and adults in his community, was seen as a natural mediator — a calming, grounded presence who understood the importance of cooperation with police. His death, reportedly occurring in the hallway outside his apartment, is still clouded by unanswered questions, including those surrounding his phone and laptop, both still in police possession nine months later.
“Erixon was big on filming everything. I wouldn’t be surprised if he filmed part of the interaction,” said Andy Ganza, Kabera’s best friend. “We still don’t have access to his phone or laptop. His apartment was ransacked — he was a really neat, clean guy. It didn’t look like how he kept it.”
Ganza shared that the autopsy revealed that Kabera’s arm was broken in two places, further deepening his concerns. Yet, the family feels they have little recourse to challenge the narrative in the SIU’s report.
“The way the police made their story, unless you have evidence to prove them wrong, you can’t do anything to hold them accountable,” said Karekezi. “We trusted the system to do better for Erixon.”
According to the Hamilton Police Service, in addition to the SIU investigation, several accountability measures are mandated by law, including an internal parallel investigation and a mandatory Coroner’s Inquest.
“As required by legislation, Hamilton Police Service will now conduct a parallel investigation under section 81(1) of the Community Safety and Policing Act, 2019,” said a representative from Hamilton Police Public Affairs who referred to herself only as Jackie. “This report will be submitted to the Hamilton Police Service Board within 90 days and published on the Board’s website for public access. This report is due in September.”
While these mechanisms exist on paper, the lived experience of Kabera’s loved ones highlights a deep disconnect between procedural accountability and emotional closure.
For communities like Burlington, the question becomes: how can we ensure our systems respond not only with procedural compliance but also with empathy and transparency that builds community trust?
As residents and leaders across Halton Region consider this tragic case, perhaps the most important question is not what went wrong in Hamilton, but rather: how can we ensure it doesn’t happen here?
