Toronto cop who shot schizophrenic man that stabbed his partner cleared by SIU
The province’s police watchdog cleared a Toronto police officer who shot and killed a 28-year-old schizophrenic man who had stabbed his partner in the back last May.
On the night of May 22, the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) says police and paramedics were called to a condo tower at Yonge and Merton streets for an emotional distressed male.
Dispatchers told police that a woman reported her adult son suffering from schizophrenia struck her on her face.
Police arrived at the third floor unit and knocked on the door, asking the man still inside if he was okay.
After a few minutes, the officers told the SIU they became concerned that the man inside could be harming himself, so one of them unlocked the door and entered the unit.
“The Complainant told the officers to get out, and had a knife in his right hand. He moved quickly in the direction of the officers, preventing them from closing the door as they retreated. The officers yelled at the Complainant to get down and drop the knife,” SIU investigators wrote.
The officer who later fired his gun first fired a Taser at the man, who continued “unfazed,” advancing on the officers with a knife.
“He raised his knife and attacked "Witness Officer">(Witness Officer #4) with it,” investigators wrote. “(Witness Officer #4) raised his arms in self-defence and was pushed backward against the hallway wall. The officer lost his footing and found himself in a crouched position still fending off the Complainant, who continued to stab at him with the knife.”
A third officer fired her Taser at the man, to no avail.
“Seeing(Witness Officer #4) on the ground and the Complainant over top of him with a knife, he fired his weapon into the Complainant’s back fearing for the officer’s life.”
The complainant fell over, still holding the knife, and Witness Officer #4 fired his Taser into the man, at which point he dropped the knife.
A Taser fired at the scene of a fatal police shooting on May 22, 2021 is shown. (SIU)
A paramedic then ran to administer first aid to the complainant, who was rushed to Sunnybrook Hospital and pronounced dead approximately 49 minutes after he was shot.
The SIU said it interviewed the officer who pulled the trigger, six witness officers, and six other civilian witnesses including paramedics and the complainant’s parents.
Witness Officer #4 was also taken to hospital with a stab wound to the back and other cuts.
SIU Deputy Director Joseph Martino wrote that it appeared from all evidence gathered the subject officer was justified in firing at the complainant.
“While he or the other officers might have chosen to physically engage and overpower the Complainant, that option would have placed their own lives at risk given the knife in the Complainant’s hands; they cannot be faulted for not having done so.”
Martino also highlighted that officers should have considered whether to involve a Mobile Crisis Intervention Team (MCIT), which includes an officer and a mental health nurse, in the call.
“It appears that an "Mobile Crisis Intervention Team" (MCIT) ought to have been requested and/or deployed. That said, whether such a team might have contributed to a more positive outcome had they been at the scene is a matter of speculation.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Stamp prices rise for the third time in five years amid financial woes for Canada Post
Canada Post is increasing stamp prices for the third time since 2019, a move the Crown corporation says is a "reality" of its sales-based revenue structure.
BREAKING Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, claims he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women in Winnipeg, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Trudeau Liberals to unveil new bill Monday aimed at countering foreign interference
Democratic Institutions Minister Dominic LeBlanc will be tabling legislation on Monday aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada. Federal officials have scheduled a technical briefing on the incoming bill for Monday afternoon.
WATCH Avian flu: Risk to humans grows as outbreaks spread, warns expert
H5N1 or avian flu is decimating wildlife around the world and is now spreading among cattle in the United States, sparking concerns about 'pandemic potential' for humans. Now a health expert is urging Canada to scale up surveillance north of the border.
Human remains were found at a former Hitler base, but decay prevents determining the cause of death
Polish prosecutors have discontinued an investigation into human skeletons found at a site where German dictator Adolf Hitler and other Nazi leaders spent time during the Second World War because the advanced state of decay made it impossible to determine the cause of death, a spokesman said Monday.
Italy's white-collar mafia is making a business killing
Italy's mafia rarely dirties its hands with blood these days. Extortion rackets have gone out of fashion and murders are largely frowned upon by the godfathers.
Ontario MPP asked again to leave Ontario legislature over keffiyeh, Speaker loosens ban
An Ontario MPP was asked again to leave the Ontario legislature on Monday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that was banned by the Speaker last month due to its political symbolism.
The story of how a B.C. man found his birth mother
After his adopted parents died, Dave Rogers set out to learn more about his birth mother. DNA results and a little help from friendly strangers would put him on a path to a small town in England.
Trump fined US$1,000 for gag order violation in hush money case as judge warns of possible jail time
The judge presiding over Donald Trump's hush money trial fined him US$1,000 on Monday for violating his gag order once again and sternly warned the former president that additional violations could result in jail time.