3 arrested after Toronto police officer shot
Three people have been arrested after a Toronto police officer was shot Wednesday while investigating an alleged robbery.
Tibor Orgona, 21, of Toronto faces multiple charges, including attempted murder and robbery, police said in a release Thursday.
Two other suspects have also been arrested in connection with the robbery investigation, police said in the release. A 22-year-old woman has been charged with conspiracy to commit an indictable offence, and a 15-year-old youth faces three counts of the same charge and three counts of robbery.
All were scheduled to appear in court in Toronto Thursday morning, the release said.
The shooting happened around 5:30 p.m. near Yonge Street and Eglinton Avenue. The officer was rushed to hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries and is recovering, police said.
A police source said Thursday that officers with 53 Division’s major crime unit had been watching a parked vehicle they believed to be involved in robberies in the area. The officers waited for hours for someone to return to it, the source said.
When it appeared no one was coming, the officers called a tow truck, according to the source. As they waited for the tow to arrive on scene, several people approached the vehicle, the source said. When the officers attempted to make arrests, gunshots were exchanged and the officer was hit in his abdomen, according to the source.
The person who fired on the officers then fled the area, the source said. The name and a photograph of the alleged shooter was then distributed to police throughout the city, the source added.
Alleged shooter arrested at hospital
The alleged shooter was arrested later Wednesday after 41 Division officers attending Michael Garron Hospital in the east end recognized him, the source said. It is not clear why the suspect was at the hospital, according to the source.
The Special Investigations Unit (SIU), the province’s police watchdog, also offered a rough timeline and some details of how the shooting unfolded in a news release Thursday. The SIU is investigating the incident because a police officer fired their weapon at the scene.
The SIU said that while two officers were investigating a robbery, they were approached by two men.
“One of the men shot an officer and fled,” the release said. “A second officer discharged his firearm at the man who fled. The man was not struck.”
The SIU also confirmed the alleged shooter was arrested at Michael Garron Hospital.
A spokesperson for the Toronto Police Association (TPA) said in an email Thursday morning the injured officer, 29, is in “good spirits” and remains in hospital. The officer has served on the force for five and a half years, they added.
Toronto police Chief Myron Demkiw said the shooting is another example of the dangers officers face in the city.
“This is the 637th time a police officer has been injured in the city of Toronto this year,” Demkiw said outside Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre on Wednesday night.
Demkiw said he was relieved to report the officer is “doing well.”
“He was shot in the abdomen and is here in the hospital surrounded by colleagues and family, being supported during what is obviously a difficult and challenging time,” he said.
Accused ‘should never have been out on bail’: Ford
Speaking alongside Demkiw, TPA President Jon Reid noted this was the second police officer to be shot in Toronto in the last two months. An off-duty officer was shot downtown on Aug. 3 while arresting a man wanted on a Canada-wide warrant.
“This is unprecedented, as far as what’s going on in the city, and we need it to stop,” he said.
In a follow-up interview, Reid said the suspect in Wednesday’s shooting was out on bail for previous charges.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said the same in a post to X, formerly Twitter, Thursday afternoon.
“I’m relieved to hear that the [Toronto police] officer who was shot in the line of duty yesterday is being well-cared for and I’m praying for his swift and full recovery,” Ford said.
“But the guy accused in this shooting should never have been out on bail. Enough is enough. The federal government needs to do its job and fix our broken bail system so we can keep dangerous criminals behind bars and off our streets.”
Nick Leung, a resident of the area, said he saw the aftermath of the shooting.
“I just saw a cop drive straight up from Redpath [Avenue] and jump out of his vehicle into the laneway and I saw him run straight in. I guess he couldn’t catch the guy, so he ran back out, threw his hands up in frustration,” Leung said.
Other politicians at all levels were also quick to react to the incident with posts on X.
Mayor Olivia Chow wished the officer a full and quick recovery.
“Frontline officers put themselves in harm’s way everyday, and every officer deserves to go home safe,” she said.
Marco Mendicino, MP for Eglinton-Lawrence, said he was extremely concerned by the news.
“Praying for the officer and all first responders involved,” he said.
Michael Kerzner, Ontario’s solicitor general, also said his thoughts are also with the officer.
“Violence against police officers is never acceptable,” Kerzner said.
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