A Canadian police officer lost his life in a gunfight on Thursday while probing a shooting incident at the US Consulate in Toronto that occurred earlier this year. The suspect, described as “armed and dangerous,” remains at large.
Constable Marc Pinizzotto, aged 43, was fatally shot during an encounter with 19-year-old Zara Jabbi, who has been linked to several shooting incidents across Toronto, including one at the US Consulate back in March, as reported by the Toronto Star.
Additionally, a 19-year-old individual was hospitalized with injuries, according to an emergency dispatch recording published by the Toronto Star.
Despite the intense confrontation, Jabbi eluded capture and continues to be a fugitive, with authorities warning that he is “armed and dangerous.”
This tragic event unfolds as Toronto gears up to host its inaugural FIFA World Cup match on Friday.
In the investigation into the March consulate shooting, police described seeing two male suspects exiting and firing at the building with what appeared to be a handgun before getting back in the vehicle and driving off.
No one inside the “highly fortified” building was harmed, police said at the time.
Toronto’s Police Chief gave a tearful tribute to his fallen officer, as he urged the suspect to surrender.
“There’s a very heavy sorrow in our community right now,” said Chief Myron Demkiw, through tears, as reported by CBC.
“I urge you to turn yourself in,” he said.
Pinizzotto was conducting a search warrant at a property in the northwest of the city at around 5:42 a.m. local time when he was shot.
It was among a batch of search warrants being executed across the city in relation to “a number of shootings, including at the United States Consulate,” Demkiw said.
US Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra acknowledged that Thursday’s fatal officer shooting was related to a national security probe into March’s incident at the consulate.
“Our thoughts, our prayers are with the family of the police person who was killed,” he told reporters while speaking at a conference on US-Canada trade.
However, he added that it was too soon to confirm the link between March’s shooting and Thursday’s incident.
“That’s the responsibility of the Toronto police, the mayor,” Hoekstra said.
It comes after US authorities in May arrested Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al Saadi in connection with six terrorist related offences, including masterminding the consulate shooting.
Toronto’s Mayor Olivia Chow also paid tribute to Pinizzotto and his family, calling the death “heartbreaking news” for the city.
Thursday’s shooting comes just a day before Toronto is set to host its first game in the FIFA World Cup, when one of three host nations, Canada, is set to take on Bosnia and Herzegovina.