The Toronto police officer responsible for apprehending a suspect in Monday’s deadly van attack in North York does not want to be called a hero.

At a news conference Wednesday afternoon, Toronto Police Deputy Chief Peter Yuen confirmed the arresting officer was 42-year-old Const. Ken Lam, of 32 Division -- a former engineer who joined the police service in his 30s.

Yuen said that Lam was not originally assigned to the call of a personal injury collision at Yonge Street and Finch Avenue on Monday. He went to the area to provide assistance and came across a suspect.

Yuen said Lam then “took appropriate action.”

In videos of the arrest, a suspect is seen holding something in his hand, and pointing it towards the officer. The suspect then asks the officer to “shoot me.” In the footage, the suspect eventually drops the item in his hand and the officer is able to take him into custody.

Lam is being hailed as a hero for de-escalating the situation and not discharging his weapon.

Yuen said that Lam would not be speaking with the media right now as he is considered a key witness in numerous homicides and will be required to provide testimony in court.

Speaking on Lam’s behalf, Yuen thanked the public and members of the media for calling him a hero, but said the officer was just doing his job.

"Not a single Toronto police officer wakes up in the morning and says ‘I want to be a hero.’ We come in and do our jobs and incidents like this have a way of finding us rather than us finding them. Monday, it found Ken Lam," Yuen said. “He does not believe he was the hero. He thought everyone deserved the same credit.”

Yuen met Lam five years ago at an East Asian Internal Support Network meeting. Yuen was the senior advisor and said he originally thought Lam was a salesperson because he was trying to sell engravings and police vehicle replicas to support numerous charitable organizations. He was the first to start a GoFundMe campaign if a child of an officer needed surgery or was ill, Yuen said.

“His mindset is to help as many people as possible,” Yuen said.

Yuen said that Lam is going through a mandatory after-care program following what he describes as a “life-altering decision.”

Yuen visited Lam on Tuesday and said “it was very difficult.” Wednesday morning, Lam was in good spirits.

“This morning when we texted back and forth, he has improved quite a bit. But I can’t tell you what it will be like in the future. I’m not a medical doctor, but some people can digest this in three days, some three months, some a lifetime.”

Yuen, who said he understands the toll a traumatic event can take on the body and the mind, has said he plans on remaining in contact Lam.

“I said to him ‘Did you wake up in cold sweats?’ and he said ‘I did,’” Yuen said. “We have to make sure his mind is clear, we have to help him with any symptoms he is dealing with because we can’t allow an officer to go back on the road and suffer in silence.”

All police officers that worked on Monday are being offered access to psychologists and counsellors.

Lam has been placed on temporary leave and Yuen has asked the media to respect his family’s privacy.