Suspect dead after police-involved shooting near Toronto school

A suspect is dead after a police-involved shooting near a school in Toronto’s east end.

Toronto police said on Twitter that officers were called to the area of Marberley Crescent and Oxhorn Road, which is north of Lawrence and East avenues, shortly before 1 p.m. Thursday.

Police said there were reports of a male in his late teens or early 20s walking on the street carrying a rifle.

A police firearm was discharged and the suspect was injured, police said earlier.

Several schools in the area were placed in lockdown due to the incident, but all lockdowns have since been lifted.

The incident appears to have occurred near William G. Davis Junior Public School.

“I want to begin by just advising the public that there is no threat to public safety,” Toronto police Chief James Ramer said during a media briefing Thursday afternoon.

“Officers immediately responded and as a precaution, a nearby school went into lockdown. Police were confronted by an individual and because the circumstances that followed are now the subject of an SIU investigation, I’m prohibited from discussing further what occurred.”

Ramer confirmed that the individual is dead.

The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) is an independent agency that investigates the conduct of officers in incidents that have resulted in death, serious injury, or alleged sexual assault.

1:20 Person deceased, SIU investigating after officer-involved shooting in city’s east end, police say

“Due to the proximity to a school, I certainly understand the trauma and how traumatic this must have been for staff, students and parents given the recent events that have happened in the United States,” Ramer said.

“We will step up patrols in the area and continue to work with our school and community partners and services will be available for those that require those services.”

Earlier this week, a gunman shot dead 19 students and two teachers at an elementary school in Texas. It was one of the worst school shootings in United States history.

Ramer said that what exactly happened in Toronto Thursday is not clear.

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“In the fullness of time, we will investigate every aspect of this and we’ll have a better understanding of what has occurred,” he said

“But we have no understanding at this point in time what was about to happen or what could’ve happened. I don’t speculate and suggest that it’s something similar to what’s happened in the United States….

“We certainly don’t know. But let’s face it, as a police agency with all our partners in policing, we are aware of world events. We continually monitor those world events and we work to take proactive action.”

Ramer said no one else was physically injured in the incident.

He said officials received multiple 911 calls and added there were people flagging down officers.

Area residents who spoke to Global News said it is a quiet neighbourhood and they are shocked something like this could occur.

One man said he saw the suspect carrying a gun. The man said he tried to call 911 but couldn’t immediately get through, and decided to run into a nearby school  that his kids attend and tell them to go into lockdown. He said when he got inside, they were already on the phone with 911.

“He just had a, looked like a shotgun with a scope of some sort, walking with it over his shoulder kind of pacing back and forth here,”

“So, I just drove past, drove back to see and then he was still walking back and forth so that’s when I decided to run inside, tell them to lockdown…. I don’t even know how I feel still at this moment, I’m still just in shock that this could happen but I’m just glad everyone is safe. That’s the main thing.”

Tyler Singh told Global News his little brother attends Joseph Howe Senior Public School, which is located in the area of the incident.

“I know a lot of parents are going to be stressed out with something like this, especially with everything that happened in the States so far. You know, everybody’s on high alert and for this to happen, it’s terrifying…. This is a quiet area. Nothing really happens here,” he said.

Roderick Brereton said he was in the area at the time of the police-involved shooting.

“I was on the other side of the police tape and an officer said that there was an individual with a rifle in the area,” he said.

“So at that point in time, obviously I’m not going to stick around and as I was turning around pretty much I just heard three rapid shots in succession and I stopped my car, got out, and saw the police trying to resuscitate somebody who had obviously been shot and I guess he didn’t make it because I saw the orange tarp going over him after that.”

The Toronto District School Board (TDSB) said William G. Davis Junior Public School was the last to remain in hold and secure “to ensure an orderly dismissal at the end of the day.”

That too has since been lifted.

In a statement, Ryan Bird a spokesperson for TDSB, said the board wants to “ensure that students and staff are supported and that’s why social workers will be on site – particularly at those schools that were in lockdown – should anyone be experiencing challenges and want to speak with someone.”

Bird said while police and the SIU “must still conduct their investigation,” the board has received “no information that there was any direct threat to our schools.”

-with a file from Global News’ Hannah Jackson