Fentanyl death prompts manslaughter charge: LPS

Fentanyl pills are shown in an undated police handout photo. (The Canadian Press/HO - Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams)

Middlesex Centre, Ont. -

The London Police Service (LPS) has charged a 33-year-old man with manslaughter in connection with a fentanyl overdose death.

Thirty-one-year-old Ira Jonathan Zucker of London died on March 5 after being found unresponsive at a home in the Gainsborough Road and Coronation Drive area.

A post-mortem examination determined the cause of death to be a fentanyl overdose.

As a result the LPS Major Crime Section and the Office of the Chief Coroner began an investigation into the death.

Police say they identified a male suspect who is believed to have sold the fentanyl to Zucker.

Det. Sgt. Sean Travis, officer in charge of the Major Crime Section, said in a statement, “In this case, the charge of manslaughter is based on the illegal sale of fentanyl to an individual resulting in the overdose death of that individual.”

As a result of the investigation, a 33-year-old London man has been charged with manslaughter and trafficking a Schedule I substance.

He was arrested Wednesday and was being held in custody pending a court appearance on Thursday.

While this type of charge has been laid in other jurisdictions, it is the first time the London police have laid a manslaughter charge in this type of situation.