Blair defends police use of force following Queen Station shooting
Posted December 16, 2013 9:16 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The police shooting of a passenger on the TTC over the weekend has stirred up questions again about the use of excessive force by front line officers.
Toronto’s police chief Bill Blair spoke to CityNews about the controversial issue on Monday, saying sometimes lethal force is necessary to help keep people safe.
Blair wouldn’t speak specifically about Friday’s incident at Queen Station where police shot and injured a man who appeared to have a gun but said that sometimes officers find themselves in very dangerous situations.
“No police officer wants to have to use deadly force but there are some circumstances that we respond to and, for example without speaking specifically about that incident, when we’re confronted with an individual with a firearm – those can be incredibly dangerous,” Blair explained.
Friday’s incident sparked a protest on Sunday by a group calling for the disarmament of front line police officers.
“We don’t have trust in our Toronto police officers,” protester Miguel Avila said.” There have been several murders unsolved thanks to the SIU so we need to put pressure on the authorities to understand this is not right.”
Protesters say if officers had used de-escalation techniques the young man would not be in serious condition right now.
Blair said he that knows some people are upset and that mental health is an issue but says it’s important to keep things in perspective.
“People are entitled to protest and express their opinion but I think it’s always useful to wait for the facts to come out,” he explained. “People should understand precisely what our officers are confronted with the choices that they have when they do respond.”
The shooting at Queen Station is currently under investigation by the province’s Special Investigation Unit.
