"Shoot Him!" Toronto Police Officer Pleads Guilty to Shooting Man in Crisis
- Dave Shellnutt
- Aug 28
- 4 min read
TRIGGER WARNING: This video and story contain incidents of extreme police violence perpetrated against a young Black man. We share with his consent and to effect positive change.
“Shoot him!” yelled the second ranking officer on scene, Cst. Sarah Richards after she tasered Mr. Fowlin and he responded by unsheathing and putting a knife to his own neck, harming himself. Prior to behing tased and shot, he was not a threat nor close to the officers and was walking away with his hands in view. He was asking them to stop.
Instead of immediately supporting a man in need of help, TPS officers shot him within a minute of arriving on scene.
Instead of rushing to de-escalate a situation and providing him help, their aggressive actions prompted Mr. Fowlin to harm himself. Multiple TPS officers alone in a park with Mr. Fowlin and his dog fired tasers at him before shooting him with a firearm.
Their response to a person in need, to a person who needed immediate support, was to shoot him. This calls into question the ability of police to handle situations involving people in mental health crisis, as well as the effectiveness of current use of force training. There were multiple failures here, culminating in a near deadly result.
From the outset of this quick interaction, Mr. Fowlin begged officers not to escalate the situation. His palms were open and hands out at his sides, walking slowly away from officers while facing them and engaging with them. TPS chose to escalate this situation.
The videos above (and below) are shocking and should call into question the very foundation of policing in the City of Toronto.
We call upon the public to demand more from our police services and the elected politicians who continually boost TPS’ budget without instituting proper accountability mechanisms, de-tasking mental health crisis calls (and more) from police, and ensuring that systemic inequities in use of force disproportionately against Black and Indigenous Torontonians is adequately addressed beyond mere public apologies. If you can, also please support Mr. Fowlin on his long road to recovery.
Public apologies are to systemic racism what thoughts and prayers are to mass shootings.
At Yesterday's, plea deal court appearance for the shooter, Toronto Police Constable Andrew Davis’, we saw video for the first time of this near deadly interaction between a member of the public and multiple TPS officers.
Why is the senior officer (Cst. Sarah Richards) who directed Davis to shoot not also a party to the criminal proceedings.
Though Officer Davis is responsible for every bullet that leaves his own gun, certainly this young officer (53 weeks on the force) was poorly guided by his superiors. This isn’t the case of one bad apple, it’s a failing of multiple officers and their training. It raises broader concerns about the Service itself.
Why did officers respond to a young Black man who was not a threat to them or anyone else with lethal force.
Since former Chief Ramer’s apology for disproportionate use of force against Black and Indigenous Torontonians in 2022, what steps have been taken to address this systemic failing. Certainly, on February 2, 2023, not one but several officers were incapable of handling a possible mental health crisis and resorted to force needlessly and near lethally. Would that same escalation have occurred should Mr. Fowlin have been white, statistics would suggest not. Mr. Fowlin is the human face of that disproportionate use of force data.
Why with video like this did Prosecutors make a plea deal?
While we are thankful for the thorough SIU investigation and charges that were recommended, aggravated assault and use of a firearm with intention to maim or harm. We are disappointed that yet again the Prosecutor’s office in the face of objective video evidence have walked back charges against a police officer.
The sentencing hearing remains to be heard this fall, but it appears that justice applied to police differs from justice applied to regular citizens.
As lawyers for Mr. Fowlin in his Civil Claims against the Toronto Police and its officers involved, we can advise that the injuries suffered by Mr. Fowlin from this incident are permanent and disabling. The physical and psychological impacts of this shooting bar him from working and will forever affect his life. We look forward to assisting him in seeking the compensation he deserves and alongside Mr. Fowlin and other advocates, fight to ensure this never happens again.
Statement by Devon Fowlin
"Good afternoon everyone. I'd like to say a few words about the guilty plea of Constable Davis this morning. I believe that with this outcome, there is justice for everyone involved in this situation. Constable Davis is taking responsibility for his actions by pleading guilty. This has been a very difficult two and a half years for me. I'm dealing with the physical aftermath of having been shot multiple times in the arm and chest. I'm also still dealing with some emotional and mental challenges that I am coping with and trying to address.
I'm seeking the support necessary to move on with my life, and trying to keep my mind and body active. I want to sincerely thank everybody who has supported me, and who has donated to my fundraising efforts. I'm grateful to the media, and to the Special Investigations Unit. At the same time, we need more appropriate responses to situations like mine, especially to deal with mental health crisis. This case is an opportunity to improve things for the next person. My name and Constable Davis’ name need to be written together in the history books, so that people can learn from this. Everyone, from the Toronto Police to the SIU to Constable Davis, seems to agree about my situation, and it’s good for everyone involved to take responsibility, so that we can all move on. Thank you very much for being here."
