Well written article, just one part I take issue with. This isn't everyday for Canada; the same cannot be said for the USA. And while we have Officers who have wrongfully shot and killed a suspect, again, it isn't everday. But this part " The video, in Canada and the United States, might seem to be a rare one because of its ending." This leaves me with the feeling that you feel we are as violent as the US. That, we are not
15
In view of the applause Constable Lam has received for his conduct, one aspect has been neglected so far in my opinion. While a fellow compatriot noted that the outcome of the standoff reflects positively on Canada's contemporary gun culture, Constable Lam's discipline in contrast to many American police, somewhat derives from roots found in Western Canadian history.
While Toronto's police, along with other municipalities in Canada, have had myriad controversies, Canadian policing at a federal level generally has a reputation far better than that of any American police force. Yes, I'm talking about the RCMP, which also has a better reputation than municipal police forces in Canada. Then again, the NWMP, the forerunner of the RCMP, was essentially a paramilitary unit bringing order to the Canadian frontier. The famed Mountie in 1873, was more a British soldier than a sheriff in the American Wild West.
I've always argued that policing is best served at a federal or provincial (state) level, but this doesn't pervade all of Canada primarily due to cost---Ontario and Quebec, do have provincial police forces. In the USA, policing is done at a municipal level more to an American desire for autonomy. The negative consequences following from this are well known. I don't wish to critique my American neighbors here, but I seriously think you need to probe how policing is done in other nations, Canada included.
12
I agree with this. The Ontario Provincial Police and Sureté Quebec have a higher profile than municipal police services than a local service could ever have. Looking at Thunder Bay, I think the anti-First Nations view of law enforcement calls for not. OPP is based in Orillia, not Toronto, and would be a welcome refresher to TBPS.
3
In this case, the man was not shot. But, Toronto has the same problems that everyone else has. There was the horror, 5 years ago, when a police officer needlessly shot Sammy Yatim, on a streetcar. Google it. Canada is the real world.
1
The reporters refer to Sammy Yatim's death when they mention James Forcillo; he killed Sammy Yatim.
1
As a Canadian living in the US, I have to applaud the NYT for not quoting the typical drivel from American police training so-called experts whose idea of policing is the morally bankrupt comply-or-die doctrine.
Your piece lays out is spectacularly clear terms exactly how the specific de-escalation training played into what we see in the video. Without this clear description it would be all too easy for most Americans to think that this suspect should have been shot by the officer. Even more to the point, the office did not even use his baton -- there was no physical violence whatsoever.
Regardless, it will be a great day when we read something like this in our local news:
"Officer [...] was found guilty of attempted murder for the second round of shots, and sentenced to six years in prison."
We have normalized extrajudicial killings in many of our police forces and once again, our neighbors to the North are showing us in real life how it's done. This is world-class policing, and law enforcement.
17
Something that isn't being remarked on is Const. Lam's restraint once the assailant had surrendered. Many police would have given the assailant a few whacks with the baton to subdue him, and probably out of frustration too. Lam calmly handcuffed the assailant, using the minimal force necessary. That's praiseworthy discipline and restraint.
30
Great hero, allowed the person to go and meet a jury. Additionally he is a hero because he does not need to live the rest of his life regretting that he shot a person without a gun. Great man.
18
Police officers are under stress of life treating situations. Rarely are they given support. Here 23 people are killed or injured. How many injured will have life long struggles because this idiot used a van to kill. He will be given a sentence that hopefully keeps him locked up for the rest of his life. The policeman here followed their training. The big story here is people find away to do lone wolf mass killings. This killing follows the pattern seen in Europe and New York Central Park. Ten lost lives, 13 injured that is the real story here. Police response in these mass killings for the most part are above board. The killings but motorized vehicles, bombs, guns and knives are warlike in the hell they bring to soft targets. How would you in an officer's shoes respond if hell came your way? Would you freeze with fear? Would you be caught up with emotion and over react? Would you follow your training? Would the situation require a lethal response? I am concerned because these low-lives who commit these atrocities will later become celebrities like Charles Manson, in lesser degree Richard Speck. The victims will now become the back story and Mr. Minassian will be the focus. Constable Lam's actions offer a good example for police training, but good actions also can lead to a threat of life because bad guys rarely are predictable.
honestly I hope in such a moment I could show the same bravery as Const. Lam did
3
Toronto has a highly trained, highly educated, highly paid police force.
Wouldn't have it any other way. I have no qualm that a police officer get paid a 6 figure salary and a good pension.
10
Great to see a story involving really good police work under stressful conditions. I disagree with the statement that "these examples don't generate interest because they are not sensational". The way the officer handled this situation was in my mind quite sensational.
When police are not conditioned to expect a gun in every pocket they can consider their options. Kudos to Constable Lam and to the training programs of the Toronto Police Department.
30
All I can say is WOW. I was in NYC in August of 2012 and got to see firsthand the police handling of the butcher knife wielding crazy man just south of Times Square.
The guy was surrounded by a dozen of NYC finest. They could have tackled him with a officer in a knife armor suit, they could have tasered him, they could have shot him in the leg............ but no; an officer emptied his Glock or Baretta into him. Murdered in cold blood, as the officer really wasn't under personal attack. Questions ? none, outcry ? none, reprimand ? none.
58
Police Officers in the U.S have to contend with the fact that there are more guns than people in America.
And that many Shooters preferred weapon of choice are AR15s and the like.
Americans are more violent and have more Guns than Canadians, in fact In the U.S officers are routinely attacked and killed in the line of duty every other day.
In addition, the dynamics of violent encounters with Police are more complexed and nuanced; It would then make sense that in American officers would approach a deadly encounter with tactics that are more strategically combative in nature due to the kind of opposition they are up against.
2
The Toronto Police officer in this case may have recognized that what Mr. Minassian was holding wasn't a firearm at all; maybe his phone?
Also the Police officer knew that there were probably other officers backing him up if any shots were fired.
Don't forget handguns are much more difficult to obtain in Canada too, with rigid background checks required, and safe storage laws. So far fewer handguns are stolen and get into circulation.
10
That's factual and seriously depressing
Now wonderful to see a intelligent and careful cop a work.
13
Canada may not have the same per capita number of guns, but Toronto, Canada's largest city, has been shown in recent years to have a serious handgun problem. We experience our share of gun carnage. I don't see any reason at all for Constable Lam to assume a man who wilfully attacked and killed with a van would not then exit that van armed to kill some more. In fact, that has been the pattern of recent vehicular attacks.
There is nothing about this situation that suggests he could feel secure he was dealing with an unarmed man, or a lone wolf. How does he know there aren't accomplices somewhere nearby? He doesn't. And yet he walks away from cover in order to take control of what he can because, I assume, what he does know is that others are still in danger while that man is standing.
Yes, his training should be praised but lets not lose sight of the fact that training works until it doesn't, and it's only as good as the individual who puts it into practice in a real world situation.
Constable Lam showed incredible courage. He's a hero, and our city will undoubtedly honour him as such.
25
I would be interested to know if the de-escalation practices taught in Canada are used broadly in the USA. When ever I meet a police office in Canada I ask them if they have ever discharged their weapon and invariably the answer given is a "hard "NO"" (Letter Kenny reference) When I ask them why not, they often refer to their de-escalation training.
11
There are some police forces in the US that get this type of training as well, and in fact their officers tell you that their first and best "weapon" in their work is their words, and their head.
The unfortunate reality is that there are a few thousand separate police forces in the US and there is no standard for policing, or police training. It is up to the individual localities to require de-escalation training, and other non-violent means of policing. We just don't hear it as much.
11
The NYT is simply trying to mitigate that peaceful, better-than-USA Canada has mass killers too. The killer did not have a gun and he was not operating his weapon - a vehicle - when apprehended.
Google the name William Hudson and you will see that US police are capable of other worldly feats of restraint. The killer spent the night butchering a family in the woods including a 6 year old boy, but left an eyewitness who had hid in the woods. He leaves a bloody trail driving his tractor home. When the police come to arrest him they see he is covered in blood and armed, but he refuses to come out. They spend hours in his yard negotiating with him until he finally comes out and lets himself be handcuffed. This is a man who just weeks before was arrested for a violent assault.
And these were Texas cops.
10
but was he White though? It makes a big difference
2
Officer Lam was a police officer to protect all citizens not shoot to kill anyone who comes in their line of sight. This is what happens when you do not have racist leaders in charge. It has nothing to do with race and African Americans can also be racist as it is the culture and that's how one is trained to perform.
Maybe the exceptional US can learn a thing or two from our brothers on the northern frontier.
Guns need not be used as a first response.
When we hire war veterans as city/community policemen what we are going to get? military officers whose first response is to shoot to kill, they are not trained to negotiate, they are trained to kill on sight. Maybe we should look at who we hire or maybe stop sending our young to all these unnecessary wars all over the world.
13
Beautifully said.
2
So the story here is that the officer, probably foolishly, put his life on the line to avoid harming a guy who just ran down 10 people.
I’m glad this turned out well for the officer, but people stupid enough to believe this is exemplary police behavior should be prepared to increase dramatically police salaries and to provide, at taxpayers’ expense, huge life insurance policies to provide for officers’ families.
There is some sort of bizarre moral equivalence going on here.
Sorry, he did not decide not to harm the man. He decided that he did not need to immediately shoot the man, and then worked with the situation as he read it and as it developed.
Agreed, no guarantees that it would turn out the way it did. But that is a poor argument against what this officer did.
Or would you rather that he had shot? You see, this officer's example, which is captured for all to see on video, will discomfit the "shoot-first-ask-questions-later" cops (and their enablers and apologists): they love to rhapsodize about cops as heroes, but are reluctant to praise a cop who apprehended a suspected multi-murderer without taking another life in the process. How foolish of him! Somebody needs to check their values, but it ain't the cop ...
13
I am not a direct comparison between the countries is possible. If this had happened in the US, he would have been shot multiple times. God forbid he would have been black or Muslim. Then they would have been shot in the back too.
4
The idea of turning off the siren was a good one. I am in favor of discontinuing them altogether or greatly limiting their use. They are annoying, get people excited unnecessarily and are a danger to police and ambulance drivers on their way to pick up their lunchtime pizzas.
7
What a great article. In contrast a U.S. officer is, very apparent to me, taught to respond with lethal force when feel threatened. "Justify the use of lethal force by uttering I felt threatened" will get you off every time they seemed to have learned.
Also kudos to Toronto police to have resisted to call this a terrorism when facts are still being investigated. Are we learning anything from others? probably not, because we are so exceptional.
22
The important reminder in this situation is the willingness of the police to admit that training was required after the shameful shooting of a troubled youth. The police did not retreat into a "this is a tough job" routine, nor did they blame the community for the faulty actions of one officer. Ultimately, the constable in the field this time had the skill and training to peacefully apprehend a troubled man.
17
It’s always amazing that people who seem to want to be shot really really don’t want to get wacked with a hard rubber baton. The American police could learn a lot from this- not from Canadian cops but from any cop who worked in the US 20 or more years ago before the gun became the hammer for every nail
24
“It’s clear the officer is listening and is not worried,” he said. “He’s not going to act out of fear. We train police officers to not in any way be provoked.”
Contrast with American police officers, who are trained to fear everyone everywhere all the time.
28
I know it's off target abt how great the officer is (and he really is great), but what's with the pedestrians sauntering by at 0:34?
4
I was thinking the same. But then I thought of the alternative. The officer could have yelled at them to run for cover but he was obviously focused on the suspect. He must have known there was no threat to these folks who were clearly more curious than anything...but weren't about to step closer. But if it were me I would certainly have taken cover inside a building....quickly and quietly. The one thing I don't quite get is why there was no backup. It seems the other officers came out of the woodwork once the suspect was face down on the ground. I wonder if that is also a tactic.
2
To all those suggesting that Constable Lam should have shot and killed Alek Minassian. ask yourselves two things. First, aren't you assuming that Constable Lam had knowledge of what had happened only moments earlier? Not only is that bad reasoning, but as the old saying goes, assumption is the mother of all.... Second what good would accrue from that?; since when are dead suspects good sources of information?
I was also watching a Fox News video on YouTube yesterday concerning the incident between the above mentioned. What was most interesting, if not disquieting, was that said network had 2 terrorism experts as commentators. Both experts criticized Lam's conduct on grounds that he didn't presume that he was dealing with a terrorist act, in the manner Israelis always assume. Suffice it to say, this reasons gives sanction to a shoot first, ask questions later culture which seems to permeate American policing. Given the differences in context between American and Israeli life, is it not time to reevaluate the basis on which much American policing and training is done?
32
Constable Lam is a hero to me! What patience and courage!
20
I'm already in love with this guy. I don't care what the so called US experts (critics) say...this was brilliant.
1
I would like to see some evidence that violent suspects in Canada are less likely to be armed. I don't think that is true. It doesn't really matter. Police in the United States are expected to take control of the situation, not deescalate it. When they fail to do so, they get criticized and/or fired for endangering their fellow officers. We don't expect police to take any risk they can avoid. The result is that they often shoot first and ask questions later. Given a media that demonizes black men as violent and dangerous, its not surprising they more often suffer consequences from that risk averse policing model.
5
Given that the media rarely acknowledges that black males, 6% of the population, are responsible for more than 50% of the violent crime in major metropolitan areas, it is difficult to see the “demonizing” to which you refer.
Add to that the media’s regular failure to note the race of perpetrators of violent crime and one has to wonder what evidence there is for your assertions.
2
Actually its a great example. Black males don't make up only 6% of the population in major metropolitan areas and they aren't responsible for more than 50% of the violent crime in those areas either.
I am not worried that police are reading statistics. Most of the violent crime on television and in the media is fictional, designed to evoke an emotional response, not reason.
7
You’re first assertion might be correct. The 6% figure is total population. However, most violent crime is committed by males ages 17-30. It is likely that the figure holds true for black in that age group.
The 50% figure, according to readily accessible DOJ data is, if anything, conservative. You contradictory claim is provably false.
I'm so confused. American police shoot to kill unarmed black "assailants"--people who have broken taillights or are playing with a toy gun--but they apprehend armed and dangerous white assailants, Travis Reinking or Dylann Roof, without firing a shot?
The gunman (black) who allegedly shot and killed five police officers in Texas was exterminated with a robotic bomb, but there were never any details provided.
So if it's possible to apprehend gun-toting white criminals, then it's possible to deal with other so-called violators without breaking their necks (Freddie Gray), choking them to death (Eric Garner), or executing them within 2 seconds of arrival (Tamir Rice).
36
"A great outcome in a horrible situation?"
Not so great for the families of the victims. Or for taxpayers, who will foot the bill for this murderer to be kept warm, well-fed, and comfortable for many, many decades.
Is the "expert" that called such an outcome "great" aware of how many hundreds of thousands, even millions of dollars this is going to require?
1
The families of the victims were already going to suffer, and shooting the criminal would not have eliminated that suffering. Further, in the U.S., it costs MORE to put someone to death because of years and years of appeals, court costs, etc. than to house most for a lifetime. Lastly, it's not the police officer's job to pass judgment and provide the execution.
16
Sorry, but as a tax payer living in Toronto, I am glad of the outcome. We don't really do shoot-outs in the street up here, when we can avoid it. I don't think it is a good excuse to kill someone to save money. But what do I know, I'm just one of those crazy Canadians - not an "expert".
23
I'm one of those taxpayers, and I'm proud to pay taxes that don't make me complicit in murder.
14
Amazing example!
Side note: WHY do those pedestrians think it's cool to just keep strolling by in the beginning of the video??
5
Because they aren't processing what's going on and probably think they've walked into a movie shoot. Ah, Toronto...
4
Are those people in the background serious?! Who in their right mind walks past a situation like that, in the officer's line of fire no less. Canadians must really trust their police force not to shoot.
2
The aggressive command based system used by most police/ soldiers is why so many Americans are gunned down by police.It causes confusion by the suspect and a hyper behavior from the officer.The whole training process needs to change.Oh and unless you are in grave danger put the loaded gun away .
14
The U.S. police officers should learn from this !
13
The Times is trying to prove how the police in America use their guns when they do not have to and the training the police get in Canada and do not get in the USA is the reason why.
I believe what the Times has done here is to make a straw man argument,
If the officer was killed and the bad guy then continued to kill innocent people or the bad guy escaped and then killed other the Times would not have written an article telling us how the officer in Canada should have used his gun.
The Times only give us enough information that will support the ideas they have
I say that there are cops In the USA who do not use their weapons and there are cops in Canada who do.
By not telling us the above the Times can then make a argument that the police in the USA are not getting the training that is needed.
I believe this officer should have used his gun and it was only by luck that nothing bad happened.
3
But of course. How logical...
How was it "only by luck" that nothing bad happened? The suspect was outside of the van, which was his only weapon. I can't believe how many people here advocate for a cop shooting someone when he's not in immediate danger. It's not the police's job to execute criminals and I find it pretty callous that so many of you think this officer should have had to do that and deal with the heavy personal and professional repercussions of murdering someone. Because without fear for the cops life, and without due process, it WOULD have been murder. Whether or not you feel it's justified murder is irrelevant. Your personal sense of right and wrong are not the same thing as the law.
3
This video of Officer Lam is sensational! Especially because of the outcome. Now Minassian will face justice and not take the coward's way out without consequence.
In America it's "show me your hands" as one starts shooting or immediately shoot before a suspect has had a chance to comply while you are well protected behind a corner wall. Look at the different outcomes between cell-phone armed perps in Toronto and Sacramento, CA (Stephon Clark). Granted, with so many guns in our country it is easier to assume a perp has a gun too.
There simply seems to be too many incidents where it is shoot to kill with overwhelming and decisive force rather than shoot to injure if absolutely necessary (in case of a knife, for example).
10
In Canada, guns are nearly as ubiquitous as they are in the United States. However firearms are limited in terms of what a person might possess and how they must be stored. Rural Canada is a hunting culture. There are controversies about gun control and about gun registry. However, Canadians are overwhelmingly in favour of regulations requiring appropriate storage of firearms and of ammunition.
That no shots were fired in this tragic and sad situation is a tribute to Officer Lam. Not all of us could have acted so calmly.
Should Canada be painted as a nirvana where no one uses firearms or acts in anger? Certainly not. This incident reminds me too much of the Montreal massacre where a high powered weapon mowed down many women when a man, in a fit of rage felt justified in killing based on gender. Yet this incident clearly contrasts with the gun violence I have witnessed in the United States this year.
Kudos to Officer Lam. Kudos to a culture such as that in Canada, Australia, and Great Britain where there is a clear belief that fire arms must be controlled and their possession limited. Kudos to those in the U S and elsewhere who recognize that such limitations do not infringe on basic civil rights. Had the assailant possessed a high-powered weapons the carnage would’ve been even greater.
62
Phil....guns are NOT nearly as ubiquitous in Canada as they are in the United States of Guns.
Civilian guns in Canada: 10 million
USA: 310 million
Canada: 31 guns per 100 people.
USA: 100 guns per 100 people.
Canada is a civilized country.
The USA is not.
25
Rest assured. Had this murderer used a gun to kill all those people on the sidewalk, he would have been shot down, and we'd have our best result.
He used a van. Had the murderer gotten into the van, and tried to mow down the officer like he did to all those innocent people, he also would have been shot down, the best result possible.
Now, Canadian taxpayers will pay for this murderer to spend five, six, or seven more decades ALIVE, well fed, roof over his head, "free" healthcare, with comfortable bed, and great books to read, and television to consume. And the families of the victims will NOT BE THE SAME for that same number of decades. Bad outcome, not "great."
2
Apologies; I should have stated "gun ownership". Those in Canada who own multiple firearms is substantially below what it is in the United States but those who actually own "a" gun is not as far off asyo might think. Particularly in rural areas of Canada, those that own one or perhaps two firearms (not multiple and not automatic weapons) is significant. Truly your point is noted and is significant. Thanks for the correction, as this is how fake news spreads.
3
There were more than 56,000 gun homicides in the United States between 2009 and 2013.
In Canada during that same time period, there were 'only' 977 gun homicides.
Even adjusting for the fact that Canada has one-tenth or one-ninth of the American population, the numbers offer a stark indictment of deadly America's gun culture.
The estimated number of civilian guns in Canada is about 10 million, or about 31 guns per 100 people.
The United States has far more guns: about 310 million, about one gun per person.
20,000 people shoot themselves in the United States every year.
Just 500 people commit suicide-by-gun in Canada.
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/why-canada-has-a-gun-problem/art...
Less guns; less death.
More guns; more death.
It's not complicated.
O Canada - we adore thee !
32
The real problem, Socrates, is that more "controls" equals more guns here in America. More demand, more criminal supply, more dangerous guns. It's always been that way, American history proves this out over and over again. And still, the left advocates for more controls... diabolically paradoxical.
1
We Canadians love thee too.
On occasion, Canada serves to act as a window for Americans to much of the rest of the world.
We have single-payer healthcare, gun control and a largely tolerant society with tolerant policing, as do most modern industrialized nations. In most other ways, Canada is almost indistinguishable from the US - and that makes this particular comparison so jarring.
My point is, that in many respects, the USA is the outlier amongst its peers. The US’s approach to the well-being of its society is incomprehensible to much of the world, this time exemplified by the actions of a sole police officer.
13
This is a remarkable piece of policing under extreme duress. That said, Americans who find it almost unfathomable should consider that: 1) handguns are rare in Canada due to gun control legislation and 2) the Toronto Police have made it a point to provide training to its officers to de-escalate these kinds of situations. Constable Lam is a hero to be sure - but it’s Toronto, not Compton. The same would likely have happened in London, Sydney, Wellington, Paris, Berlin and most other major cities in the world.
American police have to deal with a lot more handguns, and their training is thus often focused more on their own survival over that of alleged perpetrators.
16
I notice that the guy kept repeating “shoot me in the head.”
I believe I would have tempted to reply “No, we are not going to do that.
What we are going to do instead is throw you into a dark hole
in the ground and leave you there for the rest of your miserable life.”
This business of accommodating cowardly killers by allowing them
to choose death-by-cop as their easy way out needs to change. It only
encourages other cowardly killers to imitate them. Three cheers for the
cop who didn’t take him up on his gutless request.
5
Apparently in Canada police officer are trained more thoroughly than in the United States.
20
No, they simply they get much better training. American cops are trained to kill if there is the slightest bit of ambiguity
7
Had it been America, and had the suspect been black, we all know what the outcome would have been.
14
Sadly In America the would happen as well but only because he was white
1
Please look at the Canadians in the picture heading this story. We are every colour and we mourn together. White doesn't matter.
8
If this deranged person did this horrible thing in NY or Chicago or LA he would be dead, and the news media would be jumping to that conclusions that this crazy person was a terrorist. Instead he is alive and will face justice not an extra-judicial execution. We need more police like they have in Toronto.
16
This week, in Alabama, 3 police officers needed to wrestle an unarmed (and seemingly not resisting, possibly drunk) woman to the ground, ripping her shirt off and threatening to break her arm, for a disorderly conduct accusation. A gang of police was needed to subdue Eric Garner, also unarmed, including the officer who choked him to death (Daniel Pantaleo) for - GOSH - selling loose cigarettes. There are cases where I believe the explanation that our police are poorly trained and put themselves in a bad position. The 2 cases I mention may also be examples of poor police training as well. But they are also obvious examples (along with hundreds of others) of police who are prejudiced against minorities, who beat them up with impunity (and often kill them), and which should be treated as crimes against the state. If we are supposed to believe that US police are colorblind, then it's time their arrests started reflecting that. Until police in the US are charged for the violence they systematically impose on minorities (and currently get away with), the disparity in the way minorities are treated will continue. Rod Rosenstein has to make a decision regarding Pantaleo after receiving a recommendation from investigators in the Justice Dept. to prosecute those police. Let's see what his conscience tells him to do.
14
Our family watched the video slack jawed - in awe of the restraint the Constable Lam demonstrated and, at the same time remarking aloud that in America the perpetrator would have been Swiss cheese. Constable Lam's actions stand in stark contrast to the videos that you see in the U.S. where poorly trained police who think of themselves as some sort of tactical swat team overreact with far too much, unwarranted and unnecessary firepower(e.g. multiple Sacramento Policemen firing dozens of rounds into an unarmed man suspected of burglary). Even if force is required it only take one bullet to bring a man down, not a hail of bullets. I have often said that the police are their own worst enemy in this regard. Even when force is justified their gross overreaction makes it appear as though they are rabid killers.
23
I have always been of the view that even in cases of arguably-justified force, the presumption of self-defense erodes with every bullet fired. I am more inclined to side with the officer who fires one bullet than the one who fires two... by the time you're at five, six, ten, twenty bullets, the case for self-defence and fear for one's life evaporates.
7
God bless you Philando Castile
3
Constable Kim Lam makes me proud to live in Toronto. He did everything right.
14
You should be proud.
3
I am a now retired Canadian cop. The only thing remarkable about this video is the attention it's getting. No cop, US or Canada, would knowingly shoot someone who was pointing a harmless object at them. It's not knowing the object is harmless that causes the tragic deaths. The hype this event is getting just shows how little the media and public understand policing.
2
Sorry, too many police commissions have shown biased policing for me to believe that all police officers have exclusively pure intentions. There have been quite a few whose body cameras show them planting evidence, when they are charged with upholding the law.
12
Rob - thanks for your public service. No doubt, you are right, we non-police only see the extreme and rare cases that make the headlines.
That being said... many people, ex-police as well, have decried what they see as the militarization of police forces - particularly in the US. This militarization changes the view that people have of police - and possibly how police see themselves. Police was once seen as being public servants whose role was to "Protect & Serve". The military's - a solidier's role - is to kill. So you combine this new perspective via telephone cams & social media that have showed so many fatal shootings of unarmed men by the police and the result is that people's perception is that cops shoot first and ask questions later. So for us non-police out there - it is ... uplifting to see this.
11
Amen to that. No truer words have been written, Rob. It is all about the "not knowing." And here in America, the "not knowing" is exacerbated by the fear (well-founded fear) that law enforcement might not make it home to their loved ones (SO MANY GUNS ON OUR STREETS) if they provide too much leeway when a suspect reaches for something "harmless." God bless all law enforcement, and the difficult decisions each of them face on a daily basis protecting the citizenry.
4
Constable Lam was able to do this incredible arrest without a gun because the odds of the assailant having a gun are significantly lower in Canada than if this took place in the U.S.
The police officer’s implicit biases are different because the landscape of his society is different.
If he lived in a city where any person could have multiple weapons on their person at any time -- I'm not so sure he would have taken the time to assume the object in the assailant’s hand was not a gun.
If the U.S. had stricter gun laws it could significantly help the abuse of force problem occurring in police departments across the country.
Perhaps police would not assume a young boy with a toy gun had a real gun and shoot him dead from across the street.
18
That's silly. If the US had stricter gun laws, there would be MORE dangerous guns on the streets (provided by criminals to fill in the supply gap those stricter laws might--and that's a big might--create) as opposed to less. History has proven that in this country time and time again. Governmental controls and prohibitions on things for which there exists tremendous demand here in America HAVE ALWAYS been shown to increase demand, and supply... and make the product even more dangerous.
1
There's a marked difference between the self control of Constable Lam when faced with a violent murderer pointing an object at him and American police who shoot unarmed persons of color simply because they move.
13
IF this had happened in the US, guranteed, the Police would have pumped 20 bullets into the suspect. 'Shoot first, ask questions later.'
Then, there's no info on what motivated the killer.
6
Oh good dsbarclay. YOU PAY for that piece of garbage to spend the rest of his eighty years in a warm bed, protected from the women he hated so much, with great books to read, and television to watch, and free health care, and three square meals a day. And you make sure you ask him what his motives were... real important stuff, that. IT will only set you back between $1,000,000 and $1,500,000 USD...
1
As someone who regularly writes about such things, keep in mind that gunplay is relatively rare in Canada. Secondly, the object is clearly not a gun. Compare it to a similar recent incident in New York City, with a pretend gun, that did result in a police shooting. The horrifying NYPD video compilation is on YouTube. Search for keywords "Video of Police involved shooting on 4/4/2018 in Brooklyn in the 71 Precinct".
Incidentally, police in the U.S. face numerous situations where guns ARE involved each day. Most are resolved peacefully. And yes, U.S. cops do make mistakes. But there is no comparing their environmental hazards to Canada. None.
3
Or cell phones or wallets or car keys or a handful of loose cigarettes
5
Whoever invented the "shoot to kill" approach used by police in the U.S. is a mass murderer. Why not use non-lethal force as in this event in Toronto to subdue suspects and why unleash a barrage of bullets as the initial response.
In the U.S. the police value their own safety more than that of those they supposedly serve.
We need a new generation of cops with better training.
8
Too bad our cops not only shoot first but act to escalate situations unnecessarily.
11
I was in Rome once where a guy off his rocker with a 10 inch knife had climbed on a statue pedestal and was reading a manifesto while, at intervals, probably to emphasize a point, would slash himself with it! He was bleeding like a martyrized Jesus on the cross while giving his speech in a place with thousands of tourists and residents walking by. The carabinieri had surrounded the fellow calmly and without any measure of hostility maintaining a small cordon around him. There was no screaming or hysteria except from the obviously deranged man. The police were not pointing their submachineguns at him, they simply kept the bystanders safe while the incident took its course. The man finished reading after about ten minutes, gave up and was then escorted by the police without incident. Its called professionalism, something sorely lacking from many of our law enforcement agencies.
14
Hmmmm, Ed. Our law enforcement personnel have every right to make it home to their loved ones at the end of a shift protecting YOU, and me. This is not a genie that is going to go back into its bottle here in America. We won our battle for independence from the British via gun barrels, and the Second Amendment ain't going away. That law enforcement here is more likely to blow away a suspect, or criminal is commensurate with the far greater proclivity of that suspect, or criminal to blow away a police officer. It's not about professionalism, it's about legitimate self-preservation.
1
You can thank the NRA for that! Shows the rest of the world our leadership in stupidity, greed and ignorance.
This officer is clearly a brave and well trained man.
What I think is different in the Toronto situation and in confrontations in the US is the prevalence of guns
Every encounter officers have here is a life threatening situation
I don’t know why The “lives matter” movements and our police don’t focus on the real solution; gun control
You can’t always expect the kind of bravery displayed in Toronto in situations where the innocent J walker could potentially be carrying and be a threat to life of an officer
5
This officer is the exception to the rule. Toronto is not immune to police brutality; only a few years ago police killed a teenager holding a knife, while inside a streetcar. They put nine bullets into him. Ken Lam is a remarkable exception.
In America the man would have been riddled with bullets. We would have listened to the NRA and the GOP and others praise the shooting, praise the Second Amendment, and celebrate the hero cop who shot the bad guy. In Canada, which is not an extension of the United States, it turned out differently. Someone was captured alive, will have to face the consequences, and there was no collateral damage.
Maybe Americans can learn something from our northern neighbor: gun control starts with cops, not the NRA.
12
As a grateful Canadian who is devastated by this act of evil I am truly proud of Metro Police for the amazing officers they recruit that come from all cultures and religions.
19
I can lock, unlock, and even start my car remotely. Perhaps the police can operate their sirens the same way. It seemed a key first step.
17
they did note, however, that one of the reasons for going back to the car to turn it off, was the time it took... just to give everyone a second to breathe. I agree, though, can't we have a remote for that? regardless, a good outcome.
2
It takes courage not to use excessive force. One good apple.
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This is what gun control looks like.
The officer could tell that the perpetrator likely did not have a gun because this country is not awash in handguns. Presumably he was able to tell from a distance that the suspect was holding a cell phone and pretending it was a gun, but there can be no doubt that the officer's certainty came from the fact that handguns in particular are extremely difficult to procure in Canada.
This short video puts the lie to the argument that more guns are the solution to the gun violence epidemic in the United States.
This is what gun control looks like.
238
Common things occur commonly. More guns create more accidents, more violent and unfortunate more deaths.
6
Canada is, in fact, awash with handguns. Relative to the US you might not see a problem, but Canada has high numbers of guns and as a results a lot of shootings compared with the rest of the OECD. Most handguns are illegally smuggled from the US.
1
Unfortunately the comment about gun control and handguns is not accurate -- there are frequent shootings here in Toronto, 28 in the first three weeks of 2018 alone, a YTD total of 100 as of April 22nd and a total of 395 in 2017.
Gun control reduces the number of guns but there are still many illegal handguns. The officer would have had ample reason for concern that there was, in fact, a handgun. All the more reason to laud the constable for remaining calm and proceeding as he did.
Police statistics are available at http://data.torontopolice.on.ca/pages/shootings
1
Another reason for moving to Canada.
71
I wish American police officers had training like this. It's so easy to be shot by the Police in the states, especially if you're a minority. There needs to be a conscious effort throughout the Police forces to demilitarize and learn to deescalete.
71
It's called racism.
2
Also disproportionately affects those who are mentally ill, or cannot hear, or understand English — they don’t “behave appropriately” when screamed at to do something, and are shot for not following orders.
6
The cops rarely shoot armed white mass murderers here- they take them out for fast food instead
1
If you think that could happen here in the good 'ole USA, you're delusional.
Constable Ken Lam needs to be offered a senior position in U.S. police training.
I doubt he'd be interested.
32
Why would he ever move to this country?
7
Why, indeed. The U.S. is rapidly turning into the kind of country the president referred to when talking about Africa and Haiti. So far, it's been more MASA than MAGA.
5
He'd pay less in taxes, and get better healthcare, for starters.
It shows once again that police have many ways of disarming a man with a gun without killing him - PROVIDED THE MAN is WHITE. Armed white terrorists and mass shooters in the United States are routinely apprehended without physical injury to the terrorist/shooter. The Waffle House shooter and the Parkland school shooter being only 2 recent examples. Unarmed Black men statistically have a greater chance of being shot and killed by police than an armed white killer.
41
"Unarmed Black men statistically have a greater chance of being shot and killed by police than an armed white killer."
Might we have a link to a source for that statistic?
(I'm not dismissing it; I'd like to verify it.)
3
Compare what happened in Toronto to what recently happened in Princeton New Jersey, where a distraught man with a BB gun, who had harmed nobody and was holding no hostages, was shot dead by police.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyT8rqq1WYQ
28
Or in Madison WI where the cops shot a young woman for holding a gun to her own head or where a cop first opened fire on a couple for accidentally backing over his bicycle and then a year or two later, without having lost his job, then shot a unarmed drunk for coming on to him
2
Two heroes this week:
Constable Ken Lam in Toronto, and James Shaw Jr. who took the gun away from a shooter at the Waffle House in Tennessee. Great courage!!
103
1. Compare this cop to so many of ours who shoot to kill even when the targeted person is suspected of something far less than killing 10 and injuring 14 more...
2. Note the related story about the suspect's affiliation with "Incel": it's a strong case for legalizing prostitution.
8
The horrific escalation of sex trafficking of women and girls - often at the hands of organized Eastern European criminal gangs - has led the Netherlands government to consider ending legalized prostitution as this has led to the massive growth of sex trafficking there.
3
The U.S. has for 50 years had the most violent males in all the industrialized world AND the most police killings by violent males. We've DOUBLED our population to 330 million just since the 1960s and not with those of strong character and morals. Get back to us when Canada, with its 36 million population and narrow demographics even begin to mirror those of the U.S. Same as when fringe lefties attempt to compare Sweden or Denmark to the U.S.
Narrow demographics in Toronto? Please check your facts . . . not to mention your opinions about the character and morals of those who were born or have immigrated since the 1960s. Are American men really more violent than men in the rest of the industrialized world, or are they merely given at-will access to any kind of gun?
7
A US police officer probably wouldn't have thought twice to blow the guy's head off. At least now, the Toronto Police Service will be able to interrogate him to find out more about his motives and, if terrorism related, his network.
42
A big difference here compared to the US. Officer Lam rightly guessed the perp didn't have a gun, he could see it in the broad daylight too. Canada does not have 300 million firearms in the hands of its citizens.
This could have turned out badly for officer Lam, however. Incredible training coupled with some good fortune. Turning the siren off definitely helped de-escalate the situation.
Bravo!
Proof that you don’t need “a good guy with a gun.”
All too frequently the guys with the guns, police I mean, shoot first and leave it at that. The Brits get along fine with their police officers being unarmed. Yes, they can call for armed back-up. But their training helps them do police work by de-escalating situations. And talking! Rather than shooting.
Obviously the Candiansi follow a similar wise way of policing.
I’m white. But I have a hearing disability - growing worse the older I get. Now, just suppose there is a situation where a police officer tells me, from a even a short distance, to put my hands up or lie down. Well, I can assure you that I am unlikely to understand the command! Does that mean they will shoot me? Well, I fear they might. Despite being white.
Policing has got to change! Officers need to consider that folks might be hard of hearing. Or mentally ill - as many distressed people in our society certainly are.
Shooting first, as US officers seem to do, is counter-productive. And leads many of us, even those of us who are old or not minorities, to now FEAR the police.
58
Also proof that, to kill a lot of strangers, you can do it without a gun.
2
Perhaps you haven't been following the news from the UK. An unarmed counter terrorism officer was murdered outside parliament in one attack. In another a Transport Police officer received "life changing" injuries protecting citizens with his baton from knife wielding terrorists. The days of unarmed bobbies is drawing inexorably to a close.
If the police believe you're trying to take their life - and you do not follow instructions - you may lose your's. I'm not sure how being deaf would be a factor here - you need to add a weapon and other circumstances that have nothing to do with hearing.
Understood you have a problem that can get you killed because you do not hear the cop.
You should not expect a cop to know that you have problems hearing and treat you differently or treat everyone as if they have a hearing problem because that person might be you.
The police can not treat everyone as if they all can not hear.
That isn't being fair to the cop.
He has a job to do and he can't do it if he has to do it the way you want him to,
Sorry but you are being unreasonable
What a man! This officer is the epitome of what I always thought a Police Officer should be. I am totally disgusted and appalled by the recent and constant actions of US Policemen who shoot fatally first because they are "fearful the suspect will has a gun and is going to shoot."
72
If the US had rational gun control, like that of Canada, US police would be more likely to react to these things in a rational way, like the officer did.
Recalibrate, reinterpret or repeal the 2nd.
10
School teachers face the same people as police, without guns and can even be arrested for defending themselves.
Police are not the only ones that face violent lunatics, but they seem to be the least accountable for their actions. They are the only ones that can use "I was afraid," as an excuse to do almost anything, including murder.
Those that take the responsibility of being a police officer should not be encouraged to react to every possible threat with overwhelming force. It is counter productive.
Getting a police officer is the Fourteenth most dangerous job in America.
FOURTEENTH!
There are fourteen jobs more dangerous than being a police officer and most of them as manual labor jobs.
By the logic of police, every time the boss tells a roofer to get on a roof, that employee should shoot his boss.
Police and their apologists need to get a grip, and figure out that de-escalation is safer for all involved.
And stop blaming the problem on bad apples. People become police officers because they want to help people. Police violence is driven from the top down, with a president that encourages it, chiefs that promote the worst cops, and training that mostly says, if you don't shoot first, you will die.
Institutional racism is tearing or country apart.
1
His behaviour stained my city, I forgive him, but he should have sought help for his difficulties.
I live in the best city, and country. This just tears at me, he obviously needed help. To quote Bob Marley....’One love’.
7
The officer showed incredible judgement and courage. The suspect twice puts his "gun" back down by his side and then re-draws it as if to threaten the officer. Sitting here at my desk, I say he's faking. But for the officer to determine that he wasn't a real threat at the time is just amazing.
101
The decisions made at the beginning of the confrontation determine the course of events to follow. So many times in the USA, a minor incident, a traffic stop, jaywalking, sidewalk sales of ordinary merchandise- explode into a life or death situation. All too often, a casual examination of the facts seem to point to the outward expression of the immutable and irrelevant genetic factors, as an indicator as to how the confrontational situation unfolds.
9
Talk about the tail wagging the dog! A deranged mass murderer puts 10 people into an early grave and ruins hundreds of lives and all the articles and comments want to talk about is how lovely the Toronto police are for not shooting him after his murderous rampage. It's an insult to those who lost love ones.
5
No, it's not. The job of a police officer is not to execute a murderer because that officer has the opportunity. The police have a duty to arrest if they can. The officer through experience and training knew he could arrest, so he did the right thing. Now, the courts determine what happens to this guy.
150
No, it is a confirmation that they still live in a civilized society.
98
Justice comes from the court system not from a lone traffic officer.
95
In most cases, I'm firmly on the side of police restraint. However, I can't help but cringe in this video. The man had a gun, he was pointing it at the officer, he had just senselessly killed 10 people - why did the officer think the man's threat was not credible? It seems that the officer had every reason to fear for his and others' safety and to fire his own weapon.
While this situation ended without a shot fired, I shudder to think of how it could have turned into a further tragedy.
3
Except he wasn't waving a gun. It was a cell phone.
13
He didn't have a gun and the officer knew it - it was a wallet btw. This guy wanted suicide by cop and the officer wasn't willing to give him that. He did the job he was trained for - arrest if possible.
53
It was not a gun, it was a cell phone. Cons Lam observed that.
29
Perhaps our police should spend some time in Canada.
49
They will clearly feel safer there. As people in Canada do not go around carrying guns. Not in cities.
People may hunt. But they don’t carry guns otherwise.
21
Our police act the same if the killer is a white man. Both the waffle house killer and the Parkland school killer were apprehended without injury to the shooter. Police have many ways to taking in a white male killer who is armed without killing him. Unarmed Black men seem to trigger some kind of state of terror in the minds of policemen in which the cop's mind becomes fixated on the need to kill, while when a white man, even one armed and who has just killed many people, the mind of the cop seems to be - "he's one of us and will be treated as such even at the risk of my own life." Not sure how else to explain it really.
12
We should all spend more time in Canada.
13
Corporal Lam is obviously well trained, and he shows tremendous discipline also. No further demonstration is needed of his professional commitment to public service. He represents the kind of person we all want to have guarding our safety.
I would like to know more of CST Lam's personal thoughts and feelings about justice. IMHO, justice was clearly better served by taking the suspect into custody unharmed than by shooting him dead. When a police officer has an opportunity to exact retribution from the known perpetrator of a heinous crime, but chooses not to, how much of that is training, and how much of it character?
74
I apologize for my initial confusion of 'Constable' with 'Corporal'. I hope CST Lam isn't offended 8^}!
1
I chose character first and training second.
1
When was the last time you can prove a cop killed suspect to exact retribution
That doesn't happen.
It was obvious the guy has nothing. Glad officer realizer too. Also what's the deal with the random people walking into the scene? They seem so oblivious to the drawn gun.
12
I grew up in Toronto and visit often. Guns are just not front of mind there (yet). My guess is that it didn't immediately occur to those bystanders that a dangerous situation was unfolding.
10
I noticed those bystanders too. Amazing.
1
Lily,
It wasn't a "gun" this guy was holding up his wallet, pretending it was a gun.
The cool thing is that de-escalating a confrontation like this humanises the suspect. Here we have a man pointing a cell phone and asking to be killed. Imagine being his father or mother and watching this video.
20
Police are shot and killed by less threatening suspects who would take advantage of an officer with his guard down. I'm glad that didn't happen in this case. The officer used his judgement and took a chance in the name of peace.
7
He understood what he is paid to do. Too bad that some don't. We are all expendable at some level, some more than others: coal miners, steel workers, farmers, firefighters, soldiers and LEOs. We should all do our best to be safe as we do what we are paid to do.
9
Constable Lam is a North American hero and icon!
44
In reference to the passersby not initially realizing what was taking place, I was watching CNN and the FBI analyst mentioned the same thing. I remember thinking this type of occurrence in Toronto is rare, even for a city of 3million people, if you lived here for any amount of time you would understand. Ours is a city and country that doesn't have a gun culture. Our homicide rate averages around 60 per year with just over half caused by guns. In addition on the video you can see that the passersby came out of the entrance of the building from the other side of the van. This probably kept them from seeing what was going on. Near the end you can see that once it sunk in that they quickly moved around the corner of the building. The officer is deserving of the praise and hopefully this will become more the rule than the exception in the future.
62
This is Toronto. De-escalation is critical police training and incredibly hard to achieve when adreneline is shooting through your body due to a hyper-violent situation. The article is clear that Toronto has had its share of police encounters which have ended very badly, but Toronto Police Service moved forward with appropriate de-escalation and mental health training as well as regular continuing training. Constable Ken Lam's composure is remarkable and professional and is the evidence of their training efforts.
111
We are all very proud of this officer and appreciate the praise and support he is receiving. The police here don't have many such instances and the article referred to a high profile case 5 years ago that resulted in a criminal conviction, a result universally applauded by Toronto citizens. That officer's response was completely inappropriate but the Toronto Police Service redoubled its efforts at de-escalation training. So happy to see it implemented so well in this case.
32
Only Canada. That officer was incredible.
92
Why do you say that.
Do you have any proof.
What an officer. Terrific work. I can’t imagine being the officer in that situation and acting like this. After someone had killed that many people, to still be calm and able to distinguish a gun from another object being held like a gun is incredible. I’d have surely killed the man, training or not. Cops have lives and families, and his willingness to put both at risk to save this man’s life is both heroic and arguably foolish.
17
It appears that the police officer had assessed that the object in hand was not a gun. Behind the suspect were windows, likely with lots of people inside, so that may have factored in as well. Also, this suspect was looking to achieve a dramatic "suicide by cop". Denying him that has to be good police practice.
I agree.
We can praise the cop only because nothing bad happened..
What would people say if something bad had happened.
Would they still praise him.
Could this video and the yearly training be used by the Police in the U.S.?
I say a big YES.
Impressive and appreciate the effort to not just kill.
On a sidenote, I was blown away by the three people walking by who didn't seem at all worried by what was taking place.
45
Prison guards would do well to need this advise.
12
The importance of training cannot be underestimated, and the directive of its importance must be communicated throughout an organization. The Toronto police force has clearly done this well. Well done, Toronto, and very well done, Officer Lam. You provide shining examples for acting and de-escalating situations under immense pressure.
170
Only in Canada!
If you watch the video, you see people walking by, oblivious to the situation. Would they have done so with the siren on? Aside from the Constable, it seems that many third parties were put at risk. It turned out wonderfully, and perhaps it's the best protocol for Canadians, world renowned for being civilized. Not sure this will work in many other countries.
18
I don't know--seems to me that if you're walking by a cop shouting "Get down" and another guy shouting "I have a gun," that's warning enough to get out of the way. It seems our U.S. police officers are taught how to escalate rather than de-escalate a situation like this. I don't mean to disparage all U.S. police officers, obviously--so many do their jobs well and because of that never get the coverage that the bad seeds do. But a lot can be learned from how this was handled.
20
Devil's advocate: would it have been better if he left the siren on, escalated the situation and sent bullets flying, potentially into fleeing civilians? Could people have heard the siren and come closer out of curiosity?
12
It's this belief that get's a lot of people unnecessarily killed Stan.
5