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
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Town of Fort Nelson, B.C., ordered to evacuate due to wildfire
The entire town of Fort Nelson, B.C., as well as the nearby Fort Nelson First Nation, has been ordered to evacuate due to an out-of-control wildfire.
Bouchard lifts Edmonton Oilers to 4-3 overtime win over Canucks in Game 2
Evan Bouchard scored 5:38 into overtime and the Edmonton Oilers bounced back for a 4-3 win over the Vancouver Canucks in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs on Friday.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
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.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Video shows naked raccoon catching B.C. family by surprise
When Marvin Henschel spotted a strange and hairless creature wandering through a front lawn in B.C.'s Lower Mainland, he could barely believe his eyes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Out-of-control wildfire prompts evacuation alert for Fort McMurray, Saprae Creek Estates Friday night
An evacuation alert was issued for two Wood Buffalo communities Friday night, as crews battled an out-of-control wildfire near Fort McMurray.