Teen killed in Aurora police shooting 'just a normal kid,' acquaintance says

A 17-year-old boy killed in a police shooting in Aurora this week was "just a normal kid" who was kind and respectful to everyone, says a man who knew him as a volunteer at the local mosque.

The teen died in an "exchange of gunfire" with four York Regional Police (YRP) officers at about 7:45 p.m. on Wednesday, according to Ontario's Special Investigations Unit (SIU).

The SIU said in a news release on Thursday that police were dispatched to a residence on Downey Circle, near Bayview Avenue and St. John's Side Road, north of Toronto, after a caller reported a break-and-enter in progress at the home. There's no word on who made the call.

Police and the SIU have not named the teen. But Shujaat Ali Ismail, one of the head volunteers at the Aurora mosque, identified him as Mikail Rashid in an interview with CBC Toronto on Friday.

"All we knew from him was goodness," Ismail said. "Mikail was an excellent person. He was always kind to everyone in our community. He was nice to everyone."

Ismail said Rashid, who helped out at the mosque after he converted to Islam, wanted to go to medical school, work as a doctor and learn computer science. Ismail described him as "very approachable, very respectable" and an intellectual. He said Rashid was religious and a "righteous individual." He said he has known Rashid for more than a year.

The community is in a state of shock and has many questions about the shooting, Ismail said.

"We, as Muslims, we want to know the truth,"  Ismail said.

"Was this an act of racism toward the Muslim community? What actually happened? What actually went down? Why did they shoot down a 17-year-old in his own property? Does the YRP not understand how diverse of a community Aurora is now?" he asked.

Ismail also asked how Rashid could be the suspect in a break-in at his own home, where he lived with his father, and next to the high school he attended.

One of the hardest things for the family is "they can't mourn," he said. "The body is with the SIU. We can't even perform funeral prayers on Mikail."

In the release, the SIU said the exchange of gunfire occurred soon after police arrived. The release does not say specifically where it took place. The SIU is investigating the shooting.

"The male was struck multiple times and pronounced deceased at the scene. One officer suffered minor injuries and was taken to hospital for treatment," the SIU said.

A York Regional Police spokesperson provided a similar summary of events during a news conference at the scene late Wednesday.