Toronto Pearson International Airport is currently experiencing significant disruptions and delays following a fatal shooting involving law enforcement authorities on Thursday morning. A 30-year-old man was shot and killed by Peel Regional Police officers at the airport, prompting an investigation by the province’s Special Investigations Unit.
The shooting, which took place around 6:50 am, caused a partial shutdown of the major airport.
Four paramedics were dispatched to the scene; however, the 30-year-old unidentified man later died of his injuries.
Investigators called in the Special Investigations Unit, which looks into episodes where police action results in death or injury.
The incident has thrown the airport into disarray, with widespread disruptions expected as a result of the ongoing investigation. The Special Investigations Unit confirmed the details of the shooting in a press release, highlighting the involvement of Peel Regional Police officers in the tragic event at Toronto Pearson Airport.
“Officers located the man, and early information received indicates he produced a firearm.
“Three officers discharged their firearms at the man. The man was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced deceased this morning.”
Ontario Provincial Police say Highway 409 to Terminal 1 Departures is closed for a police investigation.
The SIU reported that six investigators and three forensic investigators were assigned to the case.
Police said they were responding to a dispute between two or three people who were traveling together.
Officers claim they were trying to mediate the situation when one of the men pulled out a gun and pointed it at the officer.
Photos from the incident, shared by CP24, show cop cars lining the terminal around 7:10 am.
A witness to the event told the outlet that “he heard some ‘loud, popping noises'” in the distance.
Other witnesses said the shooting sounded like it was coming from pillars 14 and 15 in Terminal 1.
At 8:14 am, the SIU confirmed that there was a police-involved shooting at the airport.
“This is an isolated incident and there are no known threats to public safety,” Peel police said in a post on social media.
‘LOGISTICAL NIGHTMARE’
The police department warned travelers of long delays at the airport and that there would be a large police presence at the terminal.
A former investigator called the shooting a “logistical nightmare.”
“This is the peak time at Pearson, this hour of the day,” Former Toronto police homicide detective Mark Mendelson told CP24.
“Lots of U.S. flights going out, lots of Caribbean flights going out, lots of planes coming in as well.
Special Investigations Unit news release
The shooting has raised concerns and questions about security measures and protocol at the airport, as authorities work to determine the circumstances that led to the fatal confrontation. Passengers and airport personnel are advised to expect delays and heightened security measures in light of the incident at Toronto Pearson International Airport.
Preliminary information suggests the following:
- Shortly before 7 a.m., Peel Regional Police officers were investigating a man in distress in an SUV at Terminal 1 departures.
- Officers located the man and early information received indicates he produced a firearm.
- Three officers discharged their firearms at the man. The man was taken to hospital where he was pronounced deceased this morning.
- No police officers were injured and there is no known threat to the public.
Six investigators and three forensic investigators have been assigned to the case.
The SIU is urging anyone who may have information about this investigation, including video or photos, to contact the lead investigator at 1-800-787-8529 or online at: https://siu.on.ca/en/appeals.php
“So there is an enormous amount of people. Well over 100,000 people in this particular sort of time slot.”
The shooting comes just a few months after a Delta Air Lines passenger jet flipped when landing at the Toronto airport.
Shocking footage from the accident shows the aircraft’s body completely engulfed in fire as it flips several times before the orange blaze changes to thick black smoke.
There were no fatalities, but 21 people were left injured from the accident.
“Toronto Pearson is aware of an incident upon landing involving a Delta Airlines plane arriving from Minneapolis,” Toronto Pearson airport said after the accident.
“Emergency teams are responding. All passengers and crew are accounted for.”
‘Freak accident’ is something ‘from the movies’
Scott Keyes, founder and chief flight expert at the Going travel app, shared insights with The U.S. Sun following the Delta plane crash at Torotno Pearson International Airport on February 17.
Regarding the cause of the Toronto plane crash:
“It’s too early to speculate what precisely happened, I’m afraid. It’s certainly safe to call it a “freak accident” and that may be understating just how rare a scene like this is. An inverted passenger plane is something moviegoers saw in Denzel Washington’s 2012 film Flight—not something we see in reality until today.”
Regarding smaller jets having been involved in recent crashes:
“While it’s certainly unexpected to have two major incidents in a row take place on small aircraft, it’s not totally shocking. Around one-third of commercial aircraft in the US are smaller planes like the Delta CRJ seen today. We’ll wait and see for the investigators’ report, but given the differing circumstances of Toronto and DCA, I think it’s highly unlikely that this is a built-in aircraft issue similar to what we saw with successive 737 MAX crashes.”
Regarding air travel safety:
“You are far, far more likely to get in an accident on your drive to the airport than on your flight from the airport. On a per-mile basis, your mortality risk in a car is over 100 times higher than in a passenger plane. The fact that incidents like these grab so much attention is because of their rarity.”
— Scott Keyes, founder and chief flight expert at the Going travel app
