Toronto Police Officer Killed During Warrant Execution Linked to Consulate Shooting
A 43-year-old Toronto constable died from gunshot wounds sustained during a dawn raid connected to investigations into multiple shootings, including the March attack on the U.S. Consulate.
Toronto Police Officer Killed During Warrant Execution Linked to Consulate Shooting
A Toronto police constable died on Thursday after being shot while carrying out a court-ordered search at a residential building in the city's northwest, in an operation connected to several firearm incidents including the March assault on the U.S. Consulate.
Marc Pinizzotto, 43, who had served with the Toronto Police Service for nearly two decades, sustained fatal injuries during the early-morning operation on Martha Eaton Way. He was transported to hospital but did not survive.
Police Chief Myron Demkiw confirmed the warrant concerned multiple shooting incidents, among them the attack on the American diplomatic mission in downtown Toronto in March. In that earlier incident, two individuals discharged firearms at the unoccupied building before daybreak. No one was harmed, though U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra characterized the act as deeply concerning.
One suspect, a 19-year-old Toronto resident identified as Nicholas Bennett, was also wounded during the exchange and remains hospitalized in critical condition. Authorities intend to charge him with first-degree murder. A second individual, Zara Jabbi, also 19, who is sought in relation to the consulate incident, remains unaccounted for and is believed to be carrying weapons.
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow, who has known the slain officer's mother for two decades, expressed the city's collective sorrow. Tributes have also come from Prime Minister Mark Carney and Ontario Premier Doug Ford.
On Sunday, a formal motorcade carried Pinizzotto's body from the coroner's facility to a funeral home in Thornhill. Along the route, hundreds of emergency personnel from across the Greater Toronto Area stood in rainfall to pay respects, many with heads lowered and hands over their hearts.
Ontario Provincial Police Sergeant Ed Sanchuk, speaking during the broadcast procession, addressed the fallen officer directly: "Your duty is complete. Your watch has ended, and today we escort you home. Rest in peace, Marc. We have it from here."
Members of the public wishing to express condolences may do so through the police service's website or at designated books available at headquarters and divisional offices for the next fortnight.
Source: The Guardian
Source: Google News CA — Crime (EN)