Police shoot man at Scarborough home while responding to person with knife: SIU
Posted August 1, 2023 5:51 am.
Last Updated August 1, 2023 10:59 am.
Ontario’s police watchdog is investigating an overnight police-involved shooting in Scarborough that sent a young man to hospital with serious injuries.
Toronto police say they were called to a home in the area of Pharmacy Avenue and Lawrence Avenue East around 2:30 a.m. Tuesday for reports of a person with a knife in distress.
Police arrived and there was an interaction with a man in the basement of the home. The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) says police fired a conducted energy weapon and one officer shot at the man four times, striking him three times.
“As far as the exact nature of the interaction that occurred, I don’t have information at this time,” says SIU spokesperson Kristy Denette. “There are interviews that are ongoing.”
The 25-year-old man was rushed to hospital with life-threatening injuries.
“The latest information that I have is the man is in surgery and in critical condition,” says Denette.
It’s unclear how many other people were in the home at the time. Neighbours tell CityNews a couple with several children live at the address.
A man is shot/wounded by police in home on Sherwood Ave in Scarborough.Officers called out to home overnight for person in crisis-with knife-uttering threats. Man shot during confrontation with officers is in stable condition. SIU will now determine if use of force justified pic.twitter.com/bQCl3y7PnO
— carl hanstke (@carlCityNews) August 1, 2023
The SIU has invoked its mandate and is now investigating to determine if the use of force by the officer was justified. The watchdog says they have designated one subject officer and five witness officers as part of the investigation.
The SIU is automatically called in to investigate incidents involving police where there has been death, serious injury or allegations of sexual assault.
With files from Carl Hanstke
