WARMINGTON: Exclusive video shows Toronto cops had to shoot 16-year-old who was shooting at them

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Exonerate these Toronto cops immediately and without delay.

There is no need for a prolonged Special Investigations Unit probe into the police shooting of a 16-year-old getting out of the back of a car on Easter Sunday.

Leaked body-camera video shows very clearly that upon being asked to leave the car, the teen not only reveals a concealed handgun but fires it at an officer.

“Gun, gun, gun” and “take cover, take cover” can be heard out of the volley of wild-sounding gunshots from two officers in response.

They tried to then save the teen’s life. They pulled him out, pumped his chest, put a tourniquet around his gunshot wounds.

All for a suspect who tried to kill them.

But now that the facts are out and it’s on video that the youth pulled his gun and fired first, there needs to be a full explanation to the public that the police are free and clear of any wrongdoing in this case. It’s the other way around.

“The video is a startling reminder of the dangers facing our members every day,” said Toronto Police Association president Clayton Campbell. “We respect the SIU has a job to do and we will support our members throughout that investigation, but that video clearly shows their bravery and professionalism.”

It does. Incredible valour and courage. It also shows another thing: How close we were to one or more police funerals. It’s a miracle that this was not necessary. The officer was sure he had been shot and while no evidence showed up on his body, his bullet-proof vest is in the hands of the SIU.

The City of Toronto and Canada as a whole really did dodge a bullet here.

“It is only through sheer luck that we’re not mourning the death of another police officer,” said Campbell.

Watch the video above and see this is on full display for yourself. This was an indicator of how dangerous our streets have become.

Now, by asking for the cops involved to be given the break of not having to face months of an investigation hanging over them, it’s important to note that this is not a criticism of the SIU, their process or mandate. It’s an acknowledgment of the facts that need to be given to the public before incorrect narratives are formed. There should be no delay in setting the record straight.

The latest SIU news release from Tuesday states: “The male shot by two Toronto Police Service officers in North York died this morning in hospital. He has been identified as a 16-year-old male from Toronto.

“Preliminary information suggests the following: At approximately 11 p.m. on April 20, 2025, a Toronto Police Service officer stopped an Infiniti car in the area Sheppard Avenue West and Bathurst Street in relation to a Highway Traffic Act infraction” and “there was an exchange of gunfire during which two police officers discharged their firearms. The male was struck and was taken to hospital where he passed away this morning April 22, 2025.”

Saying there was “an exchange of gunfire” is a positive first step and is certainly much earlier information from the under-Premier Doug Ford-SIU than you would have seen under previous administrations.

But it does not go far enough. It was an exchange of gunfire as a result of a suspect who was asked to leave a car then pulling a gun and firing at police.

The police officers were returning fire.

It’s not an even situation where one side gets their say and the other side gets their say. It’s a situation where a gunmen tried to shoot our police. And they responded to protect themselves and the community.

While by law he can’t comment on the SIU investigation, or a TPS professional standards probe into how the bodycam video became public, understanding 32 Division he once commanded still feels the pain of the 2018 van attack, Deputy Chief Rob Johnson, who is acting chief this week, visited the team Wednesday to check on their wellbeing.

When reached by the Sun, Johnson said it’s important the hard working men and women of the service know “we are supportive of our officers during this time.”

Unfortunately, the young man died and while that is a tragedy, the decision he made and the lifestyle he was embroiled in is what led to this horrible result. As federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre told the Sun‘s Brad Hunter in Hamilton on Wednesday, something has to give.

“There’s drugs and guns everywhere in our streets,” Poilievre said, adding, “Our kids are now more vulnerable to gang recruitment.”

And it has to stop.

This death, and the one of the female international student from India in Hamilton, need to be wake-up calls that it’s time to get tough on violent criminals before the next murder occurs. It’s not the police who are the bad guys. The bad guys are the bad guys.

Another lesson that could come from this horrifying video is that it is time for the SIU to not muzzle chiefs of police during SIU probes and let the chiefs communicate with their officers and their communities during such difficult times and when they are needed most.

Free the chiefs. Let them talk to their cities.

It’s rare to see a video like this one. But now that the public has, there is only one thing to do.

Clear those brave officers as soon as possible and even today. And give them a well-deserved day off to hug their families.

jwarmington@postmedia.com

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