Suspect identified in death of Toronto police officer

Toronto Police chief Bill Blair has revealed the identity of the man charged with killing Sgt. Ryan Russell.

The Chief said that the homicide investigation into Russell’s death has led to a charge of first-degree murder being filed against Richard Esber Kachkar, 44, of no fixed address.

Kachkar is also facing two counts of attempted murder.

Chief Blair said that the homicide investigation is being aided by eyewitness accounts and video from Sgt. Russell’s police vehicle. "We are grateful for their assistance," said Chief Blair. "I am unable to provide more details on the investigation, the matter is now before the courts."

Russell, an 11-year-veteran with the service, died after he was struck by a stolen snowplow following a pursuit in the city’s downtown core early Wednesday.

"Today we will grieve the loss of one of our officers," said Toronto police Chief Bill Blair at a sombre news conference. "A hero in the Toronto police service who went out this morning to do his job, and in doing his job, gave his life. And that is a tragedy for all of us."

Blair said Russell was a rising star in the force, who was only promoted to the rank of sergeant six months ago following years in the city’s guns-and-gangs task force.

He leaves behind a young wife and a two-year-old son.

"(Policing) each and every day is an act of courage and today we have seen the price that some have to pay," said a tearful Blair. "And I think its important for us to go home and hug our kids because there’s a little boy who doesn’t have a father."

The chief said the "murder" of the sergeant marks one of the "worst of days" for the Toronto police, a force nearly 6,000 strong.

The last time a Toronto police officer was killed was in 2002 when Const. Laura Ellis died after her cruiser struck a utility pole in east Toronto.

The tragic events leading up to Russell’s death began just after 4 a.m. when the owner of Tolias Landscaping and Plowing called police about a Chevy truck with a snowplow in the front that had just been stolen.

Peter Tolias said crews had stopped to shovel some walkways in the area of Parliament and Dundas Streets when a man wearing no shoes ran toward an idling snowplow, jumped in the cab, and drove off.

"He was all over the place. I was chasing with police for about an hour because I didn’t want anyone to get injured," said Tolias.

Police, aided by the truck’s GPS unit, followed the snowplow to the area of Davenport and Avenue Roads just before 6 a.m.

Reports say that’s when Russell got out of his police cruiser and was struck by the vehicle during his attempt to stop it.

Video images showed paramedics performing CPR on the officer as he was loaded into an ambulance and taken to St. Michael’s Hospital.

Meanwhile, police continued their pursuit of the snowplow through heavy snow for six city blocks.

Some witnesses reported that the man was driving erratically and had hit a number of parked cars and businesses along the way. Other reports said that the man may have been affected by alcohol or drugs.

Officers with the Emergency Task Force finally caught up with the vehicle in the Keele and Humberside area and a number of shots were fired, said Toronto police Staff Sgt. Chuck Konkel.

At least one of the bullets hit the suspect, according to Toronto police Staff Sgt. Jeff McGuire.

Julian Hamilton, 17, who lives at Keele and Humberside and whose bedroom overlooks Keele, said he heard two or three shots at around 7:40 a.m.

"I thought it was just my neighbours playing (the video game) Call of Duty really loud and then after I woke up I saw the cops’ SUVs outside my house," Hamilton said. "I was like, `Oh, maybe I’m dreaming,’ until my mom called me and was like, `This ain’t no game, this actually happened.’ "

The suspect was taken to hospital with a number of gunshot wounds and was undergoing surgery as of Wednesday evening, according to an investigator with the Special Investigations Unit. He remains in police custody. His identity has not been released.

The fallen officer, who loved to play hockey, came from a policing family. His father is a retired Toronto police officer.

"This is what we do, we go out every day and we put it on the line. And this is what can happen and we all know it," Toronto police union head Mike McCormack told reporters outside the hospital.

"This is the ultimate sacrifice he has made and we’re all very proud of him and this is our worst nightmare."

McCormack personally knew Russell, whom he described as a friendly and hard-working officer.

Others who worked with Russell have been contacted by grief counsellors and are "devastated" by the death.

Funeral arrangements will be announced Thursday by the Russell family.

A second officer with the ETF was also injured in the melee, but those injuries were believed to be minor.

The Toronto police homicide unit and Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit, consisting of 12 investigators and four forensic investigators, have taken over the investigation.

The SIU is an arm’s-length agency that investigates reports involving police where there has been death, serious injury or allegations of sexual assault. With files from Postmedia News