Toronto Police Chief stands by promotion of officer who killed two Black men in the 1990s
CTV
Toronto’s police chief is standing by the decision to appoint an officer cleared after killing two black men and accused in court of beating a third in the 1990s, even as a city councillor is asking questions about the hiring decision.
Toronto’s police chief is standing by the decision to appoint an officer cleared after killing two black men and accused in court of beating a third in the 1990s, even as a city councillor is asking questions about the hiring decision.
In answers to questions from CTV News Toronto at an unrelated press conference, Chief Myron Demkiw said Supt. Rick Shank was investigated decades ago by police watchdogs.
He said Shank has been performing “at the highest level” since and deserved a promotion to lead the professional standards unit, which is responsible for liaising with police watchdogs and officer accountability.
“He was exonerated and cleared. And he has been an exemplary police officer serving our public, keeping our city safe,” Demkiw said.
But the chief steered clear of answering a call from Toronto City Councillor Jamaal Myers to open up the records on the decision to promote Demkiw over any other qualified candidate without Shank's history.
“It was disturbing. A lot of people were disturbed,” said Myers in an interview. “They should have known that there would be this type of reaction to this appointment particularly from the Black community.
“The onus is on them to show us that they did their due diligence on this individual and this individual is the right individual for this position,” he said.
