Off-duty paramedic says he witnessed a man shot and killed by police in Toronto's east end

Johnny Stavrou was walking at the Shoppers World plaza on Wednesday afternoon when he saw a man who appeared agitated and "saying things."

"I didn't think anything of it. I just continued walking, and then I wanted to observe him," the off-duty Toronto paramedic told CP24, recounting what he witnessed at the plaza near Danforth and Victoria Park avenues, where police fatally shot a man earlier.

Stavrou then saw the man holding a knife as well as blood from his cut wrists, and he said that prompted him to immediately flag down a nearby officer.

The officer radioed the situation before approaching the man with Stavrou behind him. He said the officer pulled his Taser out as soon as he saw the man.

"He instructed the man to drop the knife," Stavrou said, who briefly stepped out of the way to leash his dog. "In between that time, there was a transition from, I believe, the Taser to the gun."

When he returned, Stavrou said the man was "proceeding at the officer at a very quick rate of speed."

The officer continued to instruct the man to drop the knife, he said.

"I think for a quick moment, the officer looked behind him to see if he could like egress anywhere else," Stavrou said.

Shortly after, he said the officer told the man, "I don't want to hurt you," before shooting him in the adbomen.

Toronto paramedics said they rendered aid to the man at the scene and rushed him to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Few details about the interaction have been released by Toronto police and the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), which is now looking into the circumstances surrounding the incident.

The SIU is called to investigate the conduct of police that resulted in death, serious injury, discharge of a firearm at a person and allegations of sexual assault.

The agency said an individual flagged down an officer after encountering a man believed to be in possession of an edged weapon who was in distress. An interaction ensued, and the officer discharged his firearm at the man, resulting in fatal injuries, the SIU said.

The agency has assigned seven investigators to the case. The SIU is called to investigate the conduct of police that resulted in death, serious injury, discharge of a firearm at a person and allegations of sexual assault.

Anyone with information is asked to contact investigators at 1-800-787-8529 or https://siu.on.ca/en/appeals.php.