Toronto Man Shot Dead by Police Was Carrying a Fake Rifle: Police Watchdog

Police and investigators are seen at the scene of a shooting in Toronto, on May 26, 2022. Toronto police say a man has died after an interaction with officers during which a police gun was fired. The Canadian Press/Aaron Vincent Elkaim

A Toronto man shot dead by the police on May 26 was carrying a fake rifle, which was what raised alarms and prompted several Scarborough schools to go into lockdown, an Ontario police watchdog says.

A spokesperson for Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU) told reporters on May 27 that the weapon carried by the 27-year-old was a realistic-looking pellet gun.

Toronto Police Service officials were called to the area of East Avenue and Maberley Crescent in eastern Toronto at about 1:35 p.m. on May 26, in response to the sighting of a man carrying a firearm.

During the police interaction, two officers shot at the man and he was later pronounced dead at the scene, the SIU said in a news release.

An autopsy is scheduled for May 28.

SIU said it is assigning four investigators and three forensic investigators to the case.

Five Scarborough schools went under lockdown or “Hold & Secure” due to police investigations of the incident, including William G. Davis Junior Public School, Joseph Howe Senior Public School, Charlottetown Junior Public School, Sir Oliver Mowat Collegiate Institute, and Centennial Road Junior Public School, according to the Toronto District School Board.

All lockdowns at the schools were lifted at roughly 3 p.m.

The incident follows the tragic killing of 19 children and two teachers by a gunman at an elementary school in Texas on May 24.

During a May 26 press conference, Toronto Police Chief James Ramer said the U.S. shooting has been traumatic for staff, students, and parents, but refused to provide further details into the incident in Scarborough, saying that circumstances that follow police engagement have led to ongoing investigations from the provincial watchdog.

“I don’t want to speculate and suggest that it’s something similar to what’s happening in the United States,” Ramer said.

The Canadian Press contributed to this article