WARMINGTON: Man fatally shot by cops for pointing a gun had done this before

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This was not the first time Daniel Dolan was in trouble with police for pointing a gun.

Tragically, when he reportedly did it again at Pearson airport Thursday morning, it cost him his life.

The 30-year-old Toronto resident was the man shot and killed by bullets from two Peel Regional Police constables outside the departure area at the airport’s Terminal One just before 7 a.m.

The SIU confirmed to reporters at the scene that while they don’t have evidence the suspect fired at police, they do say he brandished a gun and pointed it at police.

This was very well handled by the SIU and Peel Police Chief Nishan Duraiappah, who attended the scene with Deputy Chief Anthony Odoardi, Staff Supt. Martin Ottaway, Media Officer Tyler Bell-Morena to both show support for their officers and assure the community, and the country, that this was not a terror attack or that the airport was in any way involved or its infrastructure at risk.

It was an isolated incident involved an individual in crisis who had a gun and put police and the community at risk by doing so. No one is saying it didn’t have potential to become far worse. And from my perspective and that of Peel Regional Police Association President Adrian Woolley, these officers deserve a pat on the back since this was a very volatile situation in which they could have been killed.

The chief and the province’s Special Investigations Unit provided outstanding communications in real time from the scene, appreciated by the media which are often left in the dark when a SIU mandate is invoked and often have to fill in the blanks.

The information blackout didn’t happen this time. A precedent has been set and a new standard that should be replicated if similar incidents like this occur in the future.

The SIU is often heavily criticized, but like the praise heaped on the chief, some should be sent their direction as well. SIU spokesperson Kristy Denette gave media ample time to ask questions and dig into what transpired there. It was handled well. It was lost on no one that a young man’s life had ended and that officers could have lost their lives. Under Premier Doug Ford, the media protocols have improved immensely with the SIU. This was on display Thursday.

Meanwhile, bodycam and surveillance video from the scene will be part of the SIU’s investigation, but from those who have viewed some of the visual evidence it’s clear that Dolan did threaten cops with a gun before being shot multiple times and dying at the scene after a dispute with security and police over a car being parked at the curb.

A check of Dolan’s criminal past shows he was under three firearms prohibition orders — one of which was a result of an incident police say involved an individual claiming a gun was pointed at him.

“He had a history of violence,” said one police source. “He is on Canadian police’s high risk offender registry and had numerous criminal convictions.”

One was for a stabbing incident in Hamilton. Another was for a robbery in Toronto.

“He also had mental health issues,” said an officer. “It’s a very sad story.”

While the SIU have not confirmed the deceased is Dolan, police sources indicate it was him. On Facebook, he posted a few photos of himself looking menacing. Other than he attended Burlington’s M.M. Robinson High School and was in sales, there is not much of an online profile.

But in policing circles, he was well known to authorities.

That said, it is believed the officers who responded to the call at Pearson were not aware of who they were dealing with when it escalated to seeing a gun be produced, forcing them to respond with lethal violence.

“He was originally in the back seat of the car,” said a source.

It is believed his sister was in the passenger seat and her boyfriend was driving, and there was a dispute over something before he was set to head into the airport to take a trip somewhere. All of what that was about is still vague and part of the investigation.

The SIU was also overseeing an autopsy to be done on Friday.

In the meantime, the officers involved are getting the help they need in recovering from a traumatic day in which they could have been shot. They are designated as the subject officers in the SIU investigation which probes police actions when extreme force is utilized.

A request has also gone out through the SIU to the deceased’s family to learn more about the troubled young man killed in this horrible incident and if there is a crowdfunding effort to help deal with the expenses for his funeral.