Crown prosecutors have decided not to approve charges in the death of a young man who died after an altercation on the Songhees First Nation reserve, saying a conviction would be unlikely.
Kyle Syrenne, 26, died Feb. 24, 2015, three days after the altercation. About 4:30 a.m. on Feb. 21, Syrenne was walking from his house on Admirals Road to his girlfriend’s house on Ned Williams Road when a taxi pulled up and four people got out.
Blows were exchanged and Syrenne fell, striking his head on the ground. He was transported to hospital, but succumbed to his injuries.
An autopsy concluded the death was caused by blunt-force head injuries; however, it is unclear whether the fatal injuries came from a blow or the fall.
The Vancouver Island Integrated Major Crime Unit identified all parties involved in the fight.
Prosecutors reviewed the RCMP investigation and completed a charge assessment in July.
“As in many cases involving a number of individuals with different perspectives on what took place, there were conflicting and contrasting versions of what actually happened that day,” said Dan McLaughlin, spokesman for the Criminal Justice Branch.
“So there were a number of issues. We couldn’t be satisfied that, from a prosecution standpoint, we would be able to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt.”
There were defences available in response to the various versions of what happened that night, McLaughlin said, as well as complicated and contradictory evidence from the scene.
In making a charge assessment, prosecutors must bear in mind the burden to prove the legal elements of an offence beyond a reasonable doubt. A reasonable doubt can arise from the evidence, lack of evidence, inconsistencies in evidence or reliability of the witnesses.
“As a consequence, no charges were approved,” McLaughlin said.
Syrenne grew up in Martensville, a suburb of Saskatoon. He moved to Victoria in November 2013 and worked as a tile setter.
