Man pronounced dead on scene after hit by taxi on Princess Street: Kingston Police

Man pronounced dead on scene after hit by taxi on Princess Street: Kingston Police
Kingston Heritage
By Cris Vilela

Kingston Police have confirmed that a man was pronounced dead on the scene after he was hit by an Amey's taxi in the early morning of Sunday, Feb. 28.

The collision occurred on Princess Street near Shopper's Drug Mart shortly after 1 a.m. The dark grey Prius was driving westbound when the collision occurred. Kingston Police, Kingston Fire and Frontenac Paramedics responded within minutes but the victim was pronounced deceased at the scene. Princess Street was closed for several hours, from Sir John A MacDonald Blvd to Bath Road, following the collision.

The taxi driver appeared unharmed. He was not charged at the scene, and was released from custody after providing a police statement. In a written statement, the taxi driver indicated that the victim was laying across the roadway and, because it was night time and the victim was wearing dark clothing, he was unable to stop before it was too late. It's unknown whether the victim had a medical condition that rendered him unconscious crossing the road, whether he fell and knocked himself unconscious, or how he ultimately came to find himself lying on the roadway prior to the collision. Only an autopsy will determine the cause of death.

Kingston Police confirmed that neither speed nor alcohol were a factor in the collision.

Level 4 Traffic Reconstructionists were called to the scene for investigation of the collision, and west bound Princess Street remained closed until just after 10 a.m. Sunday morning.

Police have identified the victim as Robert Shawn Rouleau, 42. Rouleau was a resident of Kingston and a highly respected local tattoo artist.

The investigating officer, Cst. Greg Smith of the Traffic Safety Unit, is asking for any witnesses who either saw the collision or observed a male pedestrian dressed in dark clothing prior to the incident to contact him at 613-549-4660 ext. 6277 or via email at gsmith@kpf.ca. While police should be canvassing the area, local businesses in that vicinity with exterior-facing video surveillance cameras are asked to check their footage to determine if anything of value can be observed.      

Anonymous tips can be made to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or on the website at www.tipsubmit.com.  Tipsters are eligible for a cash reward of up to $2,000. Tips can also be left through the Kingston Police MyPD app that can be downloaded at www.kpf.ca, by private message to the Kingston Police Facebook Page, or via a Direct Message to the official Twitter account.