Toronto officer fatally shot as search warrants executed in connection with U.S. Consulate shooting; suspect to be charged with murder

A police officer shot and killed at a North York apartment building on Thursday morning was part of a team executing five search warrants in relation to multiple shootings in the city, including one at the U.S. Consulate.

Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw confirmed the connection while speaking to reporters outside Sunnybrook Hospital on Thursday morning.

According to police, officers were conducting a search warrant at a building on Martha Eaton Way, in the area of Black Creek and Trethewey drives, at around 5:40 a.m. when Const. Marc Pinizzotto was shot. He died in hospital a short time later.

• ‘Words cannot describe the pain’: Tributes pour in after police officer killed in Toronto
• What we know so far about the veteran Toronto police officer fatally shot in North York

Key details:

• The officer who was killed, Const. Marc Pinizzotto, was an 18-year veteran of the Toronto Police Service.
• Demkiw said officers were conducting search warrants in relation to a number of shootings across the city, including one at the U.S. Consulate back in March.
• The suspect in the shooting, 19-year-old Nicholas Bennett, is in the hospital in critical condition. He will be charged with first-degree murder.
• The province’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU) is investigating.

Our live coverage has ended. Here’s a recap of today’s developments:

6:42 p.m. - Oakville mayor pays tribute

Oakville Mayor Rob Burton honoured the slain officer in a social media post. He said Pinizzotto “belonged to Oakville’s rinks.”

“He wore the Blades jersey alongside his brothers. Years later, he came back – training the next generation of Oakville players through the academy he built with them,” Burton wrote.

“He spent 18 years keeping people safe. He spent a lifetime giving back.”

- Bryann Aguilar, CP24.com journalist

5:17 p.m. - Suspect to be charged with murder

In a news release on Thursday afternoon, Toronto police identified the suspect who allegedly shot Pinizzotto as 19-year-old Nicholas Bennett.

He is still in the hospital, and police said he will be charged with first-degree murder.

Police also released a photo of 19-year-old Zara Jabbi, who is wanted in connection with the shooting at the U.S. consulate in March.

They noted that the photo was taken when Jabbi was a teenager. Police said they obtained a court order to release the photo. The authorization will expire on June 15.

- Bryann Aguilar, CP24.com journalist

3:05 p.m. - Family’s devastated: TPA president

Toronto Police Association President Clayton Campbell tells CP24 the family of Pinizzotto is “devastated.”

“He was an Emergency Task Force officer, some of the most elite members of our service, but in the end, he was a husband and a father and a friend to so many people, and words just can’t describe the devastation our members are feeling today,” Campbell said.

He said Pinizzotto’s death will be tough for his fellow ETF officers to overcome.

“They’re an extremely tight-knit group of individuals,” Campbell said.

“I didn’t know him personally, but I met him many times at the ETF, just one of the most well-respected members of our emergency task force.”

He added, “Marc was a hero, and I want every citizen of Toronto to know that.

- Bryann Aguilar, CP24.com journalist and Beatrice Vaisman, CP24 anchor and reporter

2:16 p.m. - RCMP release statement

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said in a statement that they are working with Toronto police in relation to the U.S. consulate shooting and “other related criminal activity.”

“The RCMP’s Federal Policing National Security program—specifically the Greater Toronto Area Integrated National Security Enforcement Team (GTA INSET)—remains actively engaged, working alongside TPS and international partners to advance a thorough and coordinated investigation," the statement read.

The Mounties said they were saddened by Pinizzotto’s death.

“Our thoughts are with the families, friends, and colleagues of these officers, and with policing partners across Canada who continue to serve their communities with courage and dedication,” the statement read.

- Bryann Aguilar, CP24.com journalist

2:10 p.m. - Pinizzotto’s body arrives at coroner’s office

The hearse carrying Pinizzotto’s body has arrived at the Office of the Chief Coroner.

With a large Canadian flag held aloft by two fire truck ladders, members of the ETF and other uniformed police officers lined up on the street outside the building, saluting as the hearse passed them by.

- Bryann Aguilar, CP24.com journalist

1:30 p.m. - ‘Just when you think you can’t hurt anymore’

OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique called the fatal shooting a “sad day for policing.”

“To lose two officers in this province within two days of each other is unbelievable,” he told CP24, referencing the death of OPP Const. Tarun Bali, who was killed in the line of duty in Hearst, Ont. on Tuesday.

“Just when you think you can’t hurt anymore, something like this happens. And my condolences to Chief Demkiw and all the members of the Toronto police. It’s a sad day for policing, it’s a sad day for the city, and we’ll get through it together.”

-Codi Wilson, CP24.com journalist

1:15 p.m. - Photo of slain officer

CP24 has confirmed a photo of the slain officer, seen in the undated picture below with his family.

• What we know so far about the veteran Toronto police officer fatally shot in North York

-Codi Wilson, CP24.com journalist and Beatrice Vaisman, CP24 anchor and reporter

12:45 p.m. – Councillor says death of officer is a ‘kick in the stomach’

Deputy Mayor Mike Colle is weighing in on the news that a Toronto police officer was fatally shot while executing a search warrant Thursday morning.“

We’ve lost an 18-year veteran of the police force, Marc Pinizzotto, and I just can’t imagine the horror that brings to the family and all his police officer mates that are part of the emergency task force,” Colle told CP24.

“It’s just a real kick in the stomach to everybody in policing and an incredible burden on the family, Nobody deserves this.”

Colle represents Ward 8 Eglinton-Lawrence, an adjacent ward to the area where the shooting took place, and a ward that has seen its share of gun violence as well recently.

He said the shooting demonstrates the dangers police face on a regular basis and the need for resources.

“It’s easy to criticize police, but this is the danger they face. They face being shot and killed, and that’s why we’ve got to do everything we can to give the police the resources and the backup they need,” Colle said.

Colle said he’s concerned the possible connection to the consulate shooting might mean Thursday’s fatal shooting is linked to foreign-funded terrorism activity in Canada, though police have not made that connection so far.

The U.S. department of Justice has alleged that an Iraqi man accused of orchestrating terror attacks in Europe is linked to the March 10 consulate shooting, as well as a shooting at a Toronto synagogue.

RCMP are continuing to probe the incident.

“We’re not going to back down and be afraid,” Colle said.

-Joshua Freeman, CP24.com journalist

12:35 p.m. - Suspect fired 1 shot at officer

Speaking to reporters outside the building, Monica Hudon, a spokesperson for the SIU, said officers arrived at the building to conduct “several search warrants.”

The shooting occurred inside a unit on the fourth floor, she said.

A 19-year-old suspect fired one shot at Pinizzotto and a second officer proceeded to shoot the suspect multiple times, Hudon said.

“Officers entered the unit and there was a man who discharged his firearm at one of the officers. The officer fell and then a second officer was behind that officer and he discharged his firearm multiple times at the man,” Hudon said.

“What else happened around it, I just don’t know yet. It is so early on in the investigation.”

The suspect is currently in hospital in critical condition in the intensive care unit, she said.

“Our investigators are still waiting to make entry into the unit and at that time, we will have more details,” Hudon said.

She noted that there were four other people inside the unit at the time.

“They’re relationship to the man... (any) connection to the search warrants, still too early for me to confirm anything,” Hudon said.

She said members of the police service do wear body cameras and the SIU hopes to utilize that video footage to assist in the investigation.

Six investigators and four forensic investigators have been assigned to the case.

-Codi Wilson, CP24.com journalist

12:31 p.m. – Procession for Const. Pinizzotto

Toronto police say that there will be a procession escorting the body of Const. Pinizzotto from Sunnybrook hospital to the Office of the Chief Coroner beginning at 1 p.m. today.

Officials note there will be “intermittent road closures” along the route travelling north on Bayview Avenue to the 401, west along the 401, exiting at Keele Avenue to the Office of the Chief Coroner (25 Morton Shulman Avenue).

-Jermaine Wilson, CP24.com journalist

11:30 a.m.- Slain officer was married father of 2

Sources tell CP24’s Beatrice Vaisman that Pinizzotto was a married father of twins, a boy and a girl, aged 14. Prior to the joining the Toronto Police Service, sources say, the constable was playing hockey professionally in Europe.

-Codi Wilson, CP24.com journalist

11:10 a.m. – GTA police chiefs share condolences

Several GTA police chiefs are sharing their condolences following the line-of-duty death of a Toronto police officer.

In a post on social media, Halton Police Chief Steve Tanner says that his service is mourning alongside the entire policing community today.

“Our thoughts are with colleagues who worked with him and shared a commitment to courage, professionalism, and public safety,” he said.

“The sacrifice made will not be forgotten. In this difficult time, we stand united with colleagues who worked with him and shared a commitment to courage, professionalism, and public safety.”

Durham Police Chief Peter Moreira also posted his condolences to social media. In the post, Moreira said that Durham police are grieving with the officer’s family, friends and colleagues.

“This has been an especially heavy week and serves as yet another tragic reminder of the ultimate sacrifice made by those who serve our communities,” he said.

- Chris Fox, Managing Digital Producer for CP24 and CTV News Toronto

10:35 a.m. - ‘A sobering reminder of the sacrifices and risks faced by police’: Premier Ford

Ontario Premier Doug Ford extended his sympathies on behalf of the people of Ontario to the family, loved ones and fellow service members of Pinizzotto.

“Today is a sobering reminder of the sacrifices and risks faced by police officers across Ontario every day as they work to keep our province safe,” he wrote in a post on social media.

- Phil Tsekouras, CTVNewsToronto.ca journalist

10:35 a.m.- Shooting suspect in hospital

Demkiw confirmed that a suspect in the shooting is in hospital and is currently receiving emergency care.

-Codi Wilson, CP24.com journalist

10:33 a.m.- ‘A very heavy sorrow’

“There is a very heavy sorrow in our community right now and these moments remind us of just the dangers that our members face each and every day,” Demkiw said.

“In the last two days we’ve seen tragic loss of life,” Demkiw said, referencing the death of OPP Const. Tarun Bali, who was killed in the line of duty in Hearst, Ont. on Tuesday.

-Codi Wilson, CP24.com journalist

10:30 a.m.- One suspect outstanding

Demkiw said there is one suspect outstanding in connection with the investigation relating to the search warrants that were executed across the city this morning. The suspect has been identified as 19-year-old Zara Jabbi.

“I urge you to turn yourself in,” Demkiw said.

-Codi Wilson, CP24.com journalist

10:30 a.m.- Mayor, police union president speaks

“Our members put their lives on the line everyday and it is a tragedy that Marc did not return home safely to his family,” Clayton Campbell, president of the Toronto Police Association, said.

Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow said she has known the mother of the slain officer for decades.

“Their grief is shared across this entire city,” Chow said.

-Codi Wilson, CP24.com journalist

10:28 a.m. – Search warrants connected to U.S. Consulate shooting

Speaking to reporters outside Sunnybrook Hospital on Thursday, Demkiw said the officer was a member of the Emergency Task Force and was shot while executing a search warrant in connection with a number of shootings, including one at the U.S. Consulate back in March.

-Codi Wilson, CP24.com journalist

10:25 a.m. – Officer identified

Police Chief Myron Demkiw has confirmed that 43-year-old Const. Marc Pinizzotto has died following the shooting this morning. He served as a member of the Toronto Police Service for 18 years, Demkiw said.

“This loss will have a profound impact on the Toronto police family, our service, our members, and all members of the larger policing family,” Demkiw said.

“No words can capture the impact on Marc’s family, who expected him to come home today.”

-Codi Wilson, CP24.com journalist

9:40 a.m. - Investigation will take ‘a very long time’

CP24 Crime Analyst Steve Ryan said Toronto police will be responsible for handling the investigation into the shooting of the officer while the SIU will investigate whether the officer was justified in discharging his firearm.

“It (the investigation) is going to take a very long time because the SIU are involved,” he said.

-Codi Wilson, CP24.com journalist

9:20 a.m.- ‘Devastating’

Mississauga Mayor Carolyn Parrish described the news of the shooting as “devastating.”

“My dad started a 37-year career as an officer in a station in the exact area where the shooting took place. He said knocking on a strange door was always a dangerous moment,” she wrote in a post on social media.

-Codi Wilson, CP24.com journalist

9 a.m. - Police chief will provide update

Police say Chief Myron Demkiw and Toronto Police Association President Clayton Campbell are heading to Sunnybrook Hospital and will provide an update to reporters shortly.

-Codi Wilson, CP24.com journalist

8:30 a.m.- Cruisers line street

Police cruisers have lined the street surrounding the building and several officers are on scene. Members of the forensic unit have also arrived.

-Codi Wilson, CP24.com journalist

8:15 a.m.- SIU investigating

The province’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU) is on scene and will be investigating the circumstances surrounding the shooting.

-Codi Wilson, CP24.com journalist

8 a.m.- Resident calls incident ‘scary’

The exact location of the shooting is not clear but one woman told CP24 that she noticed blood on the floor in the lobby.

“It’s kind of scary because this is not the first time. Last year a little boy got shot here,” she told CP24.

Eight-year-old JahVai Roy was killed at the building when he was hit by a stray bullet while lying in bed with his mother in the early morning hours of Aug. 16.

-Codi Wilson, CP24.com journalist