wtom
08-25-2004, 11:31 AM
EDIT: Photo! http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/cpress/20040825/capt.n082517a.jpg
Police shoot gunman, free hostage
\'It was like something out of a movie\'
A gunman has been shot dead by a police sniper and his hostage freed after a rush-hour standoff outside of Union Station on Front St. this morning.
Earlier, a woman was taken by ambulance to St. Michael\'s Hospital after being shot in the food court of the nearby TD Centre. That shooting reportedly sparked the sequence of events that led to the hostage taking.
At about 8:50 a.m., one shot was fired by police. A man with a gun fell to the ground on Front St. opposite the Royal York Hotel.
The hostage taker\'s body was still in the street an hour later, covered by a red tarp.
After the shooting the hostage, a young woman in her early 20s, fell to the ground unharmed.
At a press conference later, Toronto police Chief Julian Fantino said police received a 911 call this morning reporting a shooting at the TD Centre.
A four-year veteran constable on paid duty outside the Royal York Hotel heard the details over the police radio and spotted the suspect on Front St.
He confronted the man and tried to talk to him, but the man grabbed the hostage instead.
The Emergency Task Force (ETF) arrived soon after and also tried to talk to the man who continued to point the gun at the woman and police.
\"This was an extremely dangerous situation in a very public place,\" Fantino said. \"You have to take first and foremost into account the safety of the public\"
Fantino said the ETF officer made a decision to shoot the man fearing for the safety of the woman, police and passersby.
Bank employee Oroosh Sheikh had left Union Station and was walking across Front St. to attend a training seminar at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel. He was passing a hotdog stand on the south side of Front when he saw a man grab a woman who was walking by and put a gun to her head. Sheikh said the man appeared to be confused.
Sheikh ran to the hotel and from the upper floor training room watched as the hostage taker was shot. He said the man took a small step backwards and then fell.
\"It was an unbelievable thing to see. It was like something out of a movie, \" Sheikh said.
I\'d be freaked out if I was Mr. Sheikh... but the couple of seconds must have been a shocking experience... BANG, step backwards, falls to ground...
Another quote from TheStar.com;
“Literally, you could see his brain fly all over the place,†one witness told Canadian Press. “Like you see (such things) in a movie and you’re all cool. It’s not cool. It’s not cool at all.â€Â
Police shoot gunman, free hostage
\'It was like something out of a movie\'
A gunman has been shot dead by a police sniper and his hostage freed after a rush-hour standoff outside of Union Station on Front St. this morning.
Earlier, a woman was taken by ambulance to St. Michael\'s Hospital after being shot in the food court of the nearby TD Centre. That shooting reportedly sparked the sequence of events that led to the hostage taking.
At about 8:50 a.m., one shot was fired by police. A man with a gun fell to the ground on Front St. opposite the Royal York Hotel.
The hostage taker\'s body was still in the street an hour later, covered by a red tarp.
After the shooting the hostage, a young woman in her early 20s, fell to the ground unharmed.
At a press conference later, Toronto police Chief Julian Fantino said police received a 911 call this morning reporting a shooting at the TD Centre.
A four-year veteran constable on paid duty outside the Royal York Hotel heard the details over the police radio and spotted the suspect on Front St.
He confronted the man and tried to talk to him, but the man grabbed the hostage instead.
The Emergency Task Force (ETF) arrived soon after and also tried to talk to the man who continued to point the gun at the woman and police.
\"This was an extremely dangerous situation in a very public place,\" Fantino said. \"You have to take first and foremost into account the safety of the public\"
Fantino said the ETF officer made a decision to shoot the man fearing for the safety of the woman, police and passersby.
Bank employee Oroosh Sheikh had left Union Station and was walking across Front St. to attend a training seminar at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel. He was passing a hotdog stand on the south side of Front when he saw a man grab a woman who was walking by and put a gun to her head. Sheikh said the man appeared to be confused.
Sheikh ran to the hotel and from the upper floor training room watched as the hostage taker was shot. He said the man took a small step backwards and then fell.
\"It was an unbelievable thing to see. It was like something out of a movie, \" Sheikh said.
I\'d be freaked out if I was Mr. Sheikh... but the couple of seconds must have been a shocking experience... BANG, step backwards, falls to ground...
Another quote from TheStar.com;
“Literally, you could see his brain fly all over the place,†one witness told Canadian Press. “Like you see (such things) in a movie and you’re all cool. It’s not cool. It’s not cool at all.â€Â