Three persons, including a 15-year-old, are facing a total of two dozen charges after a Toronto police officer was shot during a robbery investigation Wednesday afternoon. Police Chief Myron Demkiw said that during the investigation, police stopped a vehicle near Yonge Street and Eglinton Avenue at approximately 5:30 p.m., and one of them was shot in the abdomen.
He was transported to a trauma facility with critical but not life-threatening injuries. He is anticipated to fully recover. Tibor Orgona, 21, of Toronto, has been arrested and charged with 17 counts, including attempted murder, three counts of robbery, and numerous firearms-related offences. He has also been charged with breaking probation and a probation order prohibiting guns.
A 15-year-old is facing six charges, including three counts of robbery, while Amanda O’Dette, 22, of Toronto, is charged with conspiracy to conduct an indictable offence. The Special Investigations Unit was called in after an officer discharged their firearm on the scene. The SIU is called in when officers’ actions have resulted in death, serious injury, sexual assault, and/or the discharge of a firearm at a person. Demkiw described Wednesday’s event as “a sobering reminder of the risks our officers face every day as they serve and protect our great city.”
“You can appreciate how stressful these kinds of things are for our organisation and families of police officers,” says Demkiw. According to Toronto Police Association President Jon Reid, the officer is 29 years old and has served for five and a half years. “His family is by his side right now and we have also members of the service and members of the association here to support him,” according to Reid.
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow wished the cop a full and speedy recovery in a social media statement on Wednesday evening. “Frontline officers put themselves in harm’s way every day, and every officer deserves to return home safely.
