1. Crime
2. Toronto & GTA

SIU clears Toronto cops in shooting involving death of Const. Marc Pinizzotto

Published Oct 09, 2026  •  Last updated 3 hours ago  •  5 minute read

Toronto Police and the SIU outside of a highrise on Martha Eaton Way in North York where Const. Marc Pinizzotto, 43, was shot and killed in the line of duty while conducting a search warrant on Thursday, June 11, 2026. Photo by Ernest Doroszuk /Toronto Sun/Postmedia Network

See more Toronto Sun on Google — save as a Preferred Source

Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.

• Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account.
• Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on.
• Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists.
• Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists.
• Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.

Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.

• Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account.
• Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on.
• Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists.
• Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists.
• Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.

Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.

• Access articles from across Canada with one account.
• Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.
• Enjoy additional articles per month.
• Get email updates from your favourite authors.

Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.

• Access articles from across Canada with one account
• Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments
• Enjoy additional articles per month
• Get email updates from your favourite authors

The Special Investigations Unit has cleared a Toronto Police officer of any wrongdoing during an exchange of gunfire in June that left Const. Marc Pinizzotto dead in the line of duty and the suspect seriously injured.

The province’s police watchdog said Friday there are no reasonable grounds to believe a criminal offence was committed when an officer shot and seriously injured 19-year-old Nicholas Bennett inside an apartment unit on Martha Eaton Way near Trethewey and Black Creek Drs. on the morning of June 11.

The SUI said Bennett opened fire towards the officers and struck Pinizzotto, which left members of the Emergency Task Force “with no alternative” but to defend themselves by firing back.

“There can be no doubt that the officers believed their lives to be in danger and that they acted to protect themselves from grievous bodily harm and death,” SIU Director Joseph Martino said in a statement.

Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw said, while the investigation has come to a close, it has not diminished the sense of the “profound loss” the force is feeling.

Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond.

By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.

A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.

The next issue of Your Midday Sun will soon be in your inbox.

We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again

“On that day, we lost Constable Marc Pinizzotto, a dedicated member of our Emergency Task Force, a respected colleague, and a friend,” Demkiw said in a statement shared to social media. “Marc gave his life in service to others, and his sacrifice will never be forgotten.

“The members of our Emergency Task Force are among the most highly trained and skilled officers in the country, and they routinely face dangerous and dynamic situations with professionalism, courage, and exceptional expertise. In the months since losing their colleague and friend, they have demonstrated tremendous resilience while continuing to serve the people of Toronto with dedication.”

The SIU also provided Martino’s full report about the events that unfolded during the execution of a search warrant for an investigation into firearms allegedly used in the March 10 shooting of the U.S. consulate as well as previous gunshots fired into Jewish schools and synagogues.

Bodycam footage, photos and physical evidence were obtained from Toronto Police.

According to the report, police notified the SIU at 6:23 a.m. that an officer and a suspect were shot inside an apartment during an Emergency Task Force investigation that also included members of the Guns and Gangs Unit earlier that morning.

The report states that, shortly before 5:40 a.m., the ETF squad approached the apartment after learning hours earlier that the suspect, who had been allegedly observed in possession of a gun by police, was wanted in relation to an ongoing firearm investigation.

“The plan was to secure the apartment and the (suspect) ahead of the execution of the search warrant by the investigation team,” the report said.

A ram was used to force the apartment door open while officers shouted that they were outside the unit with a search warrant.

The report states that Pinizzotto deployed a distraction device into the apartment and officers began to make their way inside and encountered two female occupants near the living room. Pinizzotto walked past one of the females and turned into a hallway that led to bedrooms and a bathroom.

The SIU alleges that the suspect opened a bedroom door, “raised his right arm holding a pistol” toward Pinizzotto, and fired three times at close range.

“The officer reacted immediately, discharging four rounds from his C8 rifle before collapsing onto his back in the hallway,” the report states.

There was a short pause after the volley of gunfire before another officer, who was standing behind Pinizzotto, allegedly pointed his C8 rifle and fired nine times through an interior wall separating the hallway from the suspect’s bedroom.

The report said it was unknown if the suspect retreated or fell back into the bedroom. There was another short pause before the same officer allegedly moved towards the open bedroom door, pointed his firearm down and fired an additional five rounds at the suspect.

1. 
   Doug Ford seeks longer parole ineligibility when cops killed in line of duty
2. 
   Slain Toronto cop Marc Pinizzotto hailed as a hero, the ‘best dad’ ever
3. 
   WARMINGTON: Toronto cops say numerous shootings part of ‘complex’ guns-for-hire scheme

The exchange of gunfire occurred in a matter of seconds as the officer then made his way down the hallway to check on the occupants of the other rooms.

A few minutes later, a cop radioed dispatch that an officer had been shot and asked for additional police resources while ETF Headquarters requested as many cops as possible.

Pinizzotto was “grievously wounded” and pulled out of the apartment and given emergency care before being rushed to hospital where he later died.

Bennett was also treated for injuries at the scene as a tourniquet was applied to his left leg and a seal to a chest wound. He was transported to hospital with gunshot wounds to the chest, abdomen, back, flank, right arm and both legs.

Bennett was charged with first-degree murder eight days later, making a virtual court appearance from a hospital bed.

Investigators documented blood on the floor near the entrance as well as a deployed distraction device and seven spent Winchester .223-calibre shell casings fired by police.

The SIU said forensic experts concluded that three .45-calibre cartridge cases recovered from the apartment had been fired from a Springfield Armory XDM Compact .45-calibre pistol seized during the investigation. The three bullets or fragments recovered, as well as another removed from the injured officer, had been fired from the same pistol.

Martino said he was satisfied that the officers and the rest of the ETF team “were acting on the strength of a search warrant that authorized their entry into the premises to search for firearms-related evidence in connection with a prior incident. Moreover with information at their disposal that the (suspect) was in possession of a firearm, a dynamic entry made sense.”

According to Martino, it was reasonable for the officers to storm the residence with little notice and a large show of force to lower the risk involving an armed suspect.

“The (suspect’s) use of a gun against the officers left them with no alternative but to try to defend themselves with a resort to lethal force of their own,” Martino concluded.

“Put simply, nothing short of a firearm had the stopping power required of the moment. Retreat or withdrawal were not viable options given the speed at which events unfolded, and the use of less-lethal weaponry would have exposed the officers to a greater risk of harm.”

1. 
   Toronto Maple Leafs
2. 
   Toronto & GTA
3. 
   Toronto Blue Jays
4. 
   Editorial Cartoons
5. 
   Editorials