Man fatally shot by police at Toronto Pearson airport following ‘dispute' outside Terminal 1

Hamilton Spectator

24-04-2025

What started as a call for a man in distress in the departures drop-off area at Toronto Pearson airport early Thursday morning ended with one person shot dead by police, their body splayed out under a yellow tarp on the curb, as the police watchdog investigated.
The sudden shooting left passengers briefly stranded outside the departures area as emergency vehicles responded, blocking both the ramp and drop-off area of the airport during one of the busiest travel times.
A 30-year-old man, who has not been identified, was pronounced dead at the airport after Peel police officers responded to a call around 7 a.m. for an ongoing 'dispute' among a group of people outside Terminal 1. A member of that group called 911, police said.
Three officers arrived outside the terminal where the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) said they encountered a 'man in distress' in the back seat of a grey Jeep Cherokee parked in the drop-off area.
A 30-year-old man is dead after being shot by police at Toronto's Pearson airport Thursday morning.
The officers attempted 'an immense amount of de-escalation,' according to Peel police Chief Nishan Duraiappah, when the man 'abruptly … produced a firearm at our officers.' Answering questions from reporters at the airport Thursday, the chief said the firearm was pointed at the officers.
'As a result of that, to protect themselves and the community and the passengers here at the airport, two of the officers' shot the man, Duraiappah said.
SIU spokesperson Kristy Denette, in a subsequent press conference, said the early information they had was that officers attempted to de-escalate the situation for 'a few minutes' before a firearm was 'shown' to the officers.
There was no information the man fired the weapon, Denette said, adding that the weapon has been collected by the SIU as part of its investigation, along with body-worn camera footage from at least one of the responding officers.
Police at the scene of the fatal shooting at Pearson Thursday.
Two of the three officers fired their guns at the man, who was outside the Jeep at that point, Denette said, and are now the subject of the investigation by the SIU, which handles all fatal shootings involving police.
None of the officers were injured, the chief said. Both police and the SIU said the officers attempted first aid before paramedics arrived to take over life-saving efforts.
In an early emergency dispatch report viewed by the Star, Peel police were told that the driver of the Jeep was 'asking the brother to leave' and that he was 'refusing.' Peel police said the initial information is what was reported to officers at the time. It has not been confirmed by the SIU investigation.
A child's booster seat was visible on the ground outside the Jeep on Thursday as police continued to gather forensic evidence — some items appearing to be marked by Starbucks cups.
Denette confirmed that adult members of the man's family were present at the time of the shooting and did not have information about any children being at the airport.
The group was at the airport for 'the purposes of travelling,' police said.
The police chief said there was no ongoing threat to public safety.
Police are investigating an active incident at Toronto Pearson Airport Thursday morning.
The shooting snarled traffic for departing passengers on the airport ramp for several hours during peak travel times but did not impact flights or regular airport operations.
Toronto resident Chris Rhind, 35, said he was at the airport with his five-year-old son when the gunshots rang out.
The father-son duo were departing on a trip to visit family in Vancouver and Whistler. It was a 'peaceful start' to the morning, he said in a text exchange with the Star, describing how they took an Uber to the airport as they've done before.
When they pulled up to one of the first doors in Terminal 1 departures, there was a typical amount of traffic and security, Rhind said. The driver parked in the domestic area, they stepped out and began to collect their bags.
Just as they were grabbing their bags, Rhind said he heard what sounded like between eight and 12 gunshots ring out.
'We weren't sure if it was gunfire, construction, aviation equipment or something else,' he said.
The noise came from about 200 metres away. Rhind said he couldn't see anything abnormal from that distance but noticed a 'light smell of gunpowder' in the air.
'My son asked if it was fireworks going off.'
The man reportedly produced a firearm, police said, before being shot.
A security guard they passed on the crosswalk moments later asked what the noise was before moving other passengers inside the terminal. Through the glass, Rhind said he saw several police cruisers and an ambulance speeding to the scene.
After getting his son to an area he believed would be safe, Rhind said it was as if everything returned to normal. When they dropped off their luggage, his son asked an Air Canada agent what happened. She didn't have a clue, nor did anyone at security. The pair grabbed a snack, boarded their flight to Vancouver and took off at 8 a.m.
'Thankfully my son is in good spirits,' Rhind said in a message from the plane. He only learned the noises they heard were in fact gunshots about two and a half hours later, from a post on X by Peel police.
'It was just random luck that we got out of our car where we did; if we had exited 200 metres further into the terminal, we would've been in the middle of the shooting.'
Kim Jonathan said she was getting out of an Uber with her family at Terminal 1 for an Air Canada flight when she heard 'many shots' nearby, immediately followed by quiet.
Once inside the terminal, it was business as usual — 'very calm inside, like any other early morning,' Jonathan said in a message.
'By the time we checked our luggage, there were many emergency vehicles on both sides of the ramps coming up to departures,' she wrote.
Jonathan said she is 'very shaken' knowing how close the shooting was.
'My paramount feeling is gratitude for the safety of my family,' she wrote. 'I'll be taking a day to hug the family upon my return home.'
John Fowler was being dropped off around 7 a.m. when he saw officers with their rifles drawn, he said by email. He waited in his car for about a half-hour before police let him walk into the terminal.
Police are asking people to avoid the area following a police shooting at Terminal 1 Departures at Pearson Airport.
Kevin McLaughlin was arriving by the UP Express at Pearson around 7:30 a.m. when he saw 'lots of cops' and traffic stopped outside Terminal 1.
'When we rolled in, it was just weird,' McLaughlin said. 'There was a lot of flashing lights … There was something going on.'
Inside the terminal, McLaughlin said everything was largely normal.
Officers attend the scene at Pearson airport Thursday morning.
An empty yellow school bus was parked at the end of the roadway.
'Our bus was simply dropping off passengers at the airport,' a spokesperson with First Student bus company said.
In videos shared to social media in what looked to be the moments after the shooting, one of the overpasses at the terminal can be seen congested with travellers' cars. By the doors of Terminal 1, dozens of emergency vehicles were stationed with their lights flashing. In another video, bystanders can be heard screaming in the background as officers exited their vehicles.
Just heard Pearson T1 is now locked down. Dozens of people abandoning their Ubers (and now being turned back). Anyone know what's up?
pic.twitter.com/mEPdIzW1tZ
The shooting happened at one of the peak times for domestic travellers in Terminal 1, which is generally considered the busiest terminal at Pearson. In total, the airport typically handles up to 130,000 passengers daily.