Coroner’s inquest called into 2017 fatal shooting at Vaughan bank

An inquest has been called into the shooting death of a man during a hostage situation at a bank in Vaughan in the winter of 2017.

Dr. Joel Kirsh, Regional Supervising Coroner for Central Region, Central East Office, said in a statement Friday the inquest will look into the circumstances surrounding the death of 25-year-old Ali Zaraeeneh, who was fatally shot by York Regional Police on December 13, 2017.

“The inquest is expected to last five days and will hear from approximately 10 witnesses,” said Dr. Kirsh. “The jury may make recommendations aimed at preventing further deaths.”

Police were called to the Royal Bank branch in the area of Major Mackenzie Drive West and Dufferin Street in Vaughan shortly after 1 p.m.  following reports a man armed with an apparent bomb had walked into the bank.

While officers were able to assist dozens of staff and children safely away from the unfolding situation in the plaza, approximately a dozen employees and civilians were trapped in the bank at the time.

Members of the Emergency Response Unit were called in along with a negotiating team to try and end the standoff but ultimately the suspect was shot and killed by two York police officers.

The province’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU) later determined that no charges would be laid in the fatal shooting, noting that the decision to use lethal force to subdue the suspect was justified.

According to the SIU incident report, the assailant forced a customer inside the bank to call 911 and tell York police that unless they “delivered a quantity of best-quality crystal meth to the bank and put the United States President Donald Trump on the telephone with him, he would detonate his body-worn explosives and the explosives in the backpack.”

The SIU report also revealed that the assailant may have been suffering from a suspected psychosis during the incident, which may have been a “significant contributing factor to his death.”