Edward Lake, the father of three children killed by a drunk driver in 2015, was tapped and arrested by Peel police before his death.
Peel District Police Const. Heather Cannon confirmed to CP24 on Wednesday night that officers had interacted with Lake at his home on Sunday. In an e-mail statement, Cannon said police were called to Lake’s residence “to investigate the altercation.”
Police arrived and engaged in a separate “quarrel” with Lake, which resulted in the deployment of a taser, Cannon said.
He was subsequently arrested and charged with assault on the spot. Cannon said Lake was later taken to hospital, where he was evaluated and released.
“Officers notified the victims’ services of the incident, and Mr Lake was also provided with contact information,” Cannon added.
“Peel Regional Police had no more contact with Mr Lake after he was transported to hospital.”
The day after the incident, Lake was reported dead. Numerous media reports say he died of suicide, but CP24 has not confirmed them independently.
Lake’s children – Daniel, Harrison and Milagros Neville-Lake – were killed when a drunk driver, Marco Mutzo, passed a stop sign and crashed into their vehicle in Vaughan. The children’s grandfather Gary Neville also died in the accident.
Mutzo was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2016. He received full parole in February 2021.
“I am angry that my children never had a chance to grow up,” Lake said during Muzzo’s parole hearing. “I wake up crying every day. It’s scary when you want a hug from your kids and they’re not there.”
The children’s mother tweeted about Lake’s death Monday night, saying, “My children’s father, Edward Lake, has joined our children so they can play together forever.”
Peel police said they had previously visited Lake’s home but could not share details for reasons of confidentiality.
“We are aware of and saddened by Mr Lake’s tragic death, as well as the tragic circumstances this family is facing,” Cannon said.
“Although there was no indication that the conversation was directly related to mental health, the staff present were adequately informed about Mr. Lake’s history and previous interactions,” she added, noting that due to the nature of the call, Crisis Outreach and the support or mobile crisis response team did not respond.
Meanwhile, after Lake’s death, there were renewed calls for organizations that received donations from the Muzzo family to remove the name from their facilities.
On Tuesday, two hospitals refused to remove the Muzzo name, citing a plaque “acknowledging the family’s long history of philanthropy, including many generous donations.”
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