York Regional Police's chief took the unusual step of issuing a statement today about the "tragic" shooting of a 17-year-old male by police in Aurora Wednesday night as an example of the increasing levels of violence experienced by frontline officers.
Chief Jim MacSween emphasized his support for his officers as the province's Special Investigations Unit undertakes its investigation of the shooting, as well as the spike in violent crime in York Region.
"Protecting our communities and our officers is a responsibility I take very seriously. I stand with our members and will do everything I can to ensure they are supported throughout these events," he said.
"In the past five years there have been 952 incidents where officers were the victim of an assault. This year alone, 116 officers have been attacked and assaulted. 13 of these incidents involved a weapon. I call on all stakeholders in the justice sector to do their part to ensure our communities and our officers are protected and remain safe. Everyone has a role to play," he said.
Police maintained a large presence on Downey Circle Friday morning, with York Regional Police’s forensic identification unit present, and two houses cordoned off with police tape.
Police responded to a report of a break-and-enter at Downey Circle in Aurora at around 7:45 p.m. Oct. 30. Soon after officers arrived, there was an “exchange of gunfire” between police and the teenager, who was struck multiple times and pronounced deceased at the scene, the SIU stated.
While many residents remain shocked followed the shooting in their normally quiet neighbourhood, others have questions following some media reports that the teenager lived in the house, and was not breaking in.
Reena Saharan, 32, and Datta Kadam, 37, have lived in their Downey Circle townhouse for a year, which is across the road from one of the houses cordoned off by police, which Kadam believes is the home of the 17-year-old who was killed. Kadam said he has seen a teenager entering the house through the garage on several occasions, mostly at night.
Initially, Kadam said they felt concerned about the safety of their neighbourhood, but after media reports that the teen who was shot lived in the house and was not breaking in, they are confused, and are questioning who reported a break-and-enter.
The Toronto Star reported that the 17-year-old’s mother, Lala Rukh, said her son was shot outside of his own home.
On Wednesday, Saharan and Kadam were returning home from work at around 8 p.m., only to find their street closed. They waited outside with a number of other residents from the area until about 11 p.m., when police escorted them back into their home.
“We like this community because it was quiet and safe, so we bought a house in this community,” said Saharan.
STATEMENT FROM YORK REGIONAL POLICE CHIEF JIM MACSWEEN ON AURORA SHOOTING
— York Regional Police (@YRP) November 1, 2024
As Chief of York Regional Police, I want to take the opportunity to address the fatal shooting that occurred in the Town of Aurora and the increased violent crime in York Region.
On October 30, at… pic.twitter.com/eJyVevIEM7
‘It was scary, I’ve lived here 28 years’
Peter Lyn, 57, was watching the Raptors game when he heard two bangs.
“My wife said, ‘I heard gunshots,’ and I said, ‘No.’ You don’t hear gunshots in this neighbourhood. I thought it was somebody dropping a garbage can, I went outside to make sure nobody had fallen down or something. But she was right.”
Lyn said he saw a large number of police cruisers filling the streets, with officers appearing to take cover behind a vehicle.
“First round of shots and then it got quiet, then more police cruisers came in, and then a second round of shots and you saw the officers advance, then it pretty much got quiet after that,” he said. “Then an ambulance showed up. We saw them take away a body bag.”
“Nobody was rushing, you could tell it wasn’t anything critical, like they were trying to save somebody’s life.”
“It was scary, I’ve lived here 28 years, and it’s the first time I’ve ever seen anything like this in this neighbourhood,” said Lyn. “Thank God it wasn’t Halloween night, kids would have been out trick-or-treating.”
“If anything, I'd say the police did a fantastic job,” he added. “I saw it first hand, just the way they worked together and covered the area in minutes. Within a minute, crews were all here.”
MacSween encouraged anyone with information to contact SIU at 1-800-787-8529, or online at https://siu.on.ca/en/appeals.php, or call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.
