SIU rules police used ‘justifiable force’ in shooting of Andrew Loku
Posted March 18, 2016 5:13 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A Toronto police officer will not face any criminal charges in the fatal shooting of Andrew Loku.
The Special Investigations Unit has determined that the officer used “justifiable force” in the July 2015 shooting of the 45-year-old victim.
The SIU investigation found that two officers encountered Loku in a third floor hallway of an apartment at 502 Gilbert Avenue around midnight on July 5, 2015. He was armed with a hammer.
“Both responding officers repeatedly directed Mr. Loku to drop the hammer and they gave him ample opportunity to do so,” SIU Director Tony Loparco said in a released statement.
“It was only when Mr. Loku had closed the gap between them to about a couple of metres – and it was apparent he was not about to stop – that the officer discharged his firearm.”
“I am satisfied that the subject officer fired his weapon believing it to be necessary to thwart an imminent hammer attack and that the officer’s apprehensions in this regard were reasonable,” Loparco concluded.
The SIU is an arm’s length agency that investigates reports involving police where there has been death, serious injury or allegations of sexual assault.
