Boy, 17, killed by police was at home in Aurora at time of shooting, mother says

A mother claims that her 17-year-old son was at home when he was killed in what officials are describing as a shootout between the teen and several police officers.

The province’s police watchdog was called in to investigate after the teen was fatally shot by York Regional Police officers in Aurora on Wednesday evening.

The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) said officers responded to reports of a break-and-enter in progress just before 8 p.m. at a residence on Downey Circle in the area of St. John’s Side Road and Bayview Avenue.

Four police officers were allegedly confronted by an armed male suspect when authorities arrived on the scene, and they interacted with that person outside of the home.

The SIU said multiple shots were fired, and a 17-year-old was pronounced dead.

“There was an exchange in gunfire between the male and responding officers, indicating that he was armed,” SIU spokesperson Monica Hudon said at the scene on Thursday. “An individual contacted the police to report a break-and-enter in process … We have a number of witnesses to keep interviewing.”

One YRP officer was taken to a local hospital with “very minor injuries.”

The family has identified the 17-year-old as Mikail Rashid. His mother tells CityNews that the boy lived at home with her ex-husband and was alone at the time of the incident.

“I think it was a break-and-enter, but how can he be the break-and-enter person when having dinner in his own house? That doesn’t make sense to me,” said Lala Rukh.

“My ex-husband had guns there for protection. Somebody might have broken [in]. Mikail probably went upstairs and got the gun, but he wasn’t the one who was breaking and entering because this was his own house.”

Arukh adds she is in contact with her ex-husband, but he is too distraught to speak at this time.

Nearby residents describe shocking scene as police chief speaks out

“After those three bangs, I did not hear anything after that for a little bit until I saw cops outside, and I heard more gunshots from up the street,” said one neighbour.

A couple who lives next door to where the shooting occurred were not home at the time but returned to find their vehicle and home riddled with bullets, a shotgun and what they describe as a machete in their driveway.

“There’s four bullet holes in my work truck; there’s one in the soffit of our front porch,” the neighbour tells CityNews.

YRP Police Chief Jim MacSween issued a statement on Friday, a day after the fatal shooting, calling it a “tragic event and one more example of the challenges our officers face each and every day.”

“As I reported a few months ago, York Region has been experiencing an overall increase in violent crime in 2024,” MacSween’s statement read.

“With these increases and more guns on the streets, our residents are feeling increasingly vulnerable to becoming a victim of crime. On a daily basis, I am speaking to people who are expressing to me that they are not feeling safe. This is concerning to me and simply unacceptable. I want to ensure our residents that the number one priority for YRP is public safety. We remain steadfast in that commitment.”

MacSween said that the shooting in Aurora brings to the forefront the “increasing levels of violence experienced by our frontline members.”

“Protecting our communities and our officers is a responsibility I take very seriously,” the police chief added. “I stand with our members and will do everything I can to ensure they are supported throughout these events.”

Five investigators and three forensic investigators from the SIU are investigating the shooting. The post-mortem is scheduled for Friday in Toronto.

The SIU is an independent civilian agency that probes incidents where people died or were seriously injured.