Document reveals why Toronto police searched home of renowned gunsmith killed in raid
CBC
Toronto police went through a renowned gunsmith's workshop in Simcoe, Ont., after two pistols registered under his name were found with their serial numbers removed at two separate crime scenes, according to search warrant documents obtained by CBC News.
The 33-page Information to Obtain (ITO) document was used to get the search warrant approved by a judge or justice of the peace, and offers more details about the evidence police had before the search of Rodger Kotanko's workshop.
Kotanko's family deny the allegations in the ITO.
They also recently filed a $23-million civil lawsuit against five "John Doe" officers, Insp. Norman Proctor, police Chief James Ramer and the Toronto Police Services Board, alleging the "unlawful" raid caused the gunsmith's "wrongful death" on Nov. 3.
Those claims haven't been proven in court. Simcoe Superior Court said Tuesday that no statement of defence has been filed.
The ITO says Kotanko was a licensed gunsmith for decades, and was allowed to have restricted and prohibited firearms.
It says he owned D.A.R.K. International Trading Co. Inc., which imports guns and gun parts, and R.K. Custom Guns, which offers gunsmithing and gun deactivation.
His file with the RCMP was over 1,000 pages long, according to the ITO.
In March 2009, the document says, Kotanko notified the Ontario Chief Firearms Office and legally imported 25 Norinco 1911A1 pistol frames. He registered new serial numbers for them, ranging from RKC001 through RKC025, and would turn those gun frames into working guns, the document said.
When police were applying for the warrant, 14 of those frames were still listed as being at Kotanko's property, according to the ITO.
The document says that on Aug. 30, 2021, police saw a reportedly stolen white Mercedes C3G crash while trying to race another vehicle.
The driver tried to run away, but police arrested the person, who would have been considered a young offender. The document says that while searching the car, Toronto police found a loaded Norinco 1911A1 with an "obliterated" serial number.
The ITO adds that on Oct. 10, police investigating a possible kidnapping in North Bay found another loaded Norinco 1911A1 with a destroyed serial number after pulling over a Nissan with three Toronto men inside.
The document notes police said the side marking, make, model and serial numbers on both guns weren't "just filed off as seen in the majority of removed serial numbers."