Police officer in Toronto killed in shooting linked to investigation of a US Consulate attack

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — A Toronto police officer was shot and killed Thursday by a suspect in the investigation into a shooting attack that damaged the facade of the U.S. Consulate in the Canadian city in March, police said.

Police officer Marc Pinizotto, who was 43 and had been on the force for 18 years, died of his wounds in a hospital, Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw said at a news conference. He said one suspect was in custody at a hospital in critical condition.

Nicholas Bennett, 19, of Toronto, will be charged with first degree murder. Another individual, Zara Jabbi, 19, remains outstanding. He is wanted in connection with the March shooting at the U.S. Consulate.

“I urge you to turn yourself in,” Demkiw said in reference to Jabbi.

Canadian police had said in March that two individuals emerged from a white Honda RV SUV at around 4:30 a.m. and fired multiple shots at the U.S. consulate building before fleeing. The shooting damaged the outside of the building but did not cause any injuries.

The consulate attack in March followed heightened tensions over the war launched by the U.S. and Israel against Iran in late February, and it had followed gunfire attacks on two Toronto-area synagogues the previous weekend.

The investigation that led to Pinizotto’s death “concerned a number of shootings, including the shooting at the United States consulate on University Avenue. There were several search warrants executed this morning,” Demkiw said.

Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow said she’s known the mother of the deceased officer for the 20 years.

“Their grief is shared across this city,” Chow said.

The officer was shot in the early morning in an apartment unit, said Monica Hudon of Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit, which investigates incidents involving police officers where there has been a death. The suspect shot first, Hudon said.