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
Couple randomly attacked, 1 stabbed, by group of teens in Toronto, police say
A man has been transported to hospital after police say he was stabbed in a random attack carried out by a group of teens in Toronto on Friday night.
Ron Ellis, who played over 1,000 games with Maple Leafs, dead at 79
Ron Ellis, who played over 1,000 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs and was a member of Canada's team at the 1972 Summit Series, has died at age 79.
Fort Nelson, B.C., wildfire doubles in size as 3,000-plus ordered to evacuate
The wildfire that sparked Friday and caused evacuation orders for more than 3,000 people in Fort Nelson, B.C., and the nearby Fort Nelson First Nation, has grown to nearly 1,700 hectares in size, according to a Saturday morning update from the BC Wildfire Service.
Eurovision Song Contest final kicks off after protests, backstage chaos and a contestant's expulsion
The final of the 68th Eurovision Song Contest kicked off Saturday in the Swedish city of Malmo after days of protests and offstage drama that have tipped the feelgood musical celebration into a chaotic pressure cooker overshadowed by the war in Gaza.
IN PICTURES Northern lights dance across the night sky in southern Ont.
From London, to Grand Bend, Collingwood and Guelph, here are some highlights of Friday night and Saturday morning's northern lights display.
'I am angry': Alberta farmers will continue fight over world class motorsport resort
The rolling hills leading to the hamlet of Rosebud are dotted with sprawling farms and cattle pastures -- and a sign sporting a simple message: No Race Track.
opinion How to use your credit card as a powerful wealth-building tool
Irresponsibly using a credit card can land you in financial trouble, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew says when used properly, it can be a powerful wealth-building tool that can help grow your credit profile and create new opportunities.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Haitians demand the resignation and arrest of the country's police chief after a new gang attack
A growing number of civilians and police officers are demanding the dismissal and arrest of Haiti's police chief as heavily armed gangs launched a new attack in the capital of Port-au-Prince, seizing control of yet another police station early Saturday.