At least five people were killed by Canadian police in October 2024. This brings the total number of people killed in police actions to at least 84 so far this year. These deaths include people who were directly killed by police, as in police shootings, and people who died during police deployments or in police custody.

At least a dozen people were killed in Canadian police actions in September 2024. Thirteen people were killed in police actions in August 2024. That was the deadliest month of police violence in 2024 so far and the deadliest since September 2022, when 13 people were also killed. At least seven people were killed in Canadian police actions in July 2024, nine people were killed in police actions in June, seven people in May, 11 people in April, 11 people in March, five people in February, and four people in January 2024. There were at least 97 police-involved deaths in Canada in 2023, while in 2022, there were at least 117 police-involved deaths.

Four of the victims in October were shot and killed by police. One died during an arrest.

Two victims have been identified publicly—Mikail Rashid (17) and Matthew Murray (33).

The details below are based on police reports, reports from oversight agencies, and in some cases information from families. As always, because there are no formal, systemic mechanisms for documenting and reporting police killings publicly in Canada, all numbers presented for police-involved deaths represent an undercount. In addition to the known cases, there are instances of police-involved deaths that have no reporting. For example, the Independent Investigations Office of BC (IIO) lists one death involving the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) on October 11, for which the investigation was closed without any public report.

October 2. Winnipeg Police Service. Shooting.

Winnipeg Police Service (WPS) officers shot and killed a man at an apartment building in the 800 block of Main Street at approximately 12:30 PM on October 2. Police claim they attended an apartment building at 817 Main Street, at the corner of Main and Jarvis Avenue, on multiple 911 calls regarding a man allegedly armed with some type of edged weapon and banging on tenants’ doors. Police say they encountered a man in a hallway, tased him, and shot him with at least one firearm. The man was transported to hospital, where he died.

None of the police claims have been confirmed publicly.

October 22. Matthew Murray. Penticton RCMP. Shooting.

A Penticton RCMP officer shot and killed a man, since identified by family as Matthew Murray (33) in Penticton, British Columbia, on October 22. It is reported that Penticton RCMP received “multiple 911 calls” a little after 3:00 PM regarding a “man acting erratically and reportedly waving a knife around on Government Street in Penticton.” RCMP have only said that some sort of “an interaction” occurred between one officer and a man which ended with “the officer discharging their duty pistol.” Mr. Murray was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries and later died there.

Family members have described Matthew Murray as a kind man who suffered depression and extreme anxiety, not feeling comfortable in public. They believe he was in mental health crisis at the time police killed him. His former partner says he was in the hospital recently for mental health reasons. Police killed him near the hospital.

A witness named Tom Riddler posted on social media the evening of the killing that “the RCMP Officer is the one who fired the shots.” Neither the RCMP nor the Independent Investigations Office of BC (IIO) said anything for hours after the killing, despite witnesses speaking with media and the coroner being observed on site.

One of the problems with police oversight is the often lengthy amount of time it takes (often days) for investigators to arrive on scene. This gives police ample time to set the scene and establish their joint stories.

October 23. Gatineau Police. Shooting.

Police in Gatineau, Quebec, shot and killed a man around midnight on October 23, in the city’s central Hull neighborhood. Quebec’s Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes (BEI) reports that officers were called to rue Saint-Rédempteur regarding someone “making disturbing comments.” Police claim an officer was stabbed.

The BEI is investigating the killing, and the Sûreté du Québec (SQ) is investigating the alleged stabbing, even though the person in question is dead.

No other information has been released at this time including the nature if the “disturbing comments” that initiated the call.

October 27. Ontario Provincial Police. Custody.

Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU) is investigating the death of a 46-year-old man during arrest by Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officers in Elliot Lake. They report that at approximately 12:30 PM on October 27, OPP officers responded to a break and enter and assault call at a residence in the area of Westhill Road and Axmith Avenue. They entered the residence and identified “a person of interest.” The SIU says police claim some sort of “a struggle ensued as officers attempted to handcuff the man.” He was eventually put into a police cruiser. At some point shortly after he went into medical distress while still detained at the residence. He was removed from the cruiser and paramedics arrived and took him to hospital. He was later pronounced dead in hospital.

No other details are available publicly including the nature of “the struggle” or police actions throughout their encounter with the man.

October 30. Mikail Rashid. York Regional Police Service. Shooting.

York Regional Police Service (YRPS) shot and killed Mikail Rashid, a 17-year-old boy, in Aurora, Ontario, on the evening of October 30. The killing reportedly occurred in the area of St. John’s Side Road and Bayview Avenue, north of Toronto, after officers responded to a call at about 7:50 PM regarding an alleged break-in. The SIU reports that police encountered a teenager when the first officers arrived on scene. All four officers on scene fired their weapons and the youth was killed. According to the SIU, “The male was struck multiple times and pronounced deceased at the scene.” Police claim the youth also fired a weapon.

The SIU has also confirmed that the teenager was shot outside, about five houses away from where the incident began. The teen’s mother, Lala Rukh, told media that the shooting took place outside his own home and that he had been inside eating dinner shortly before the police incident. This has raised questions both about police actions and about the alleged break-and-enter call.

Rashid was a Grade 12 student at Dr. GW Williams Secondary School in Aurora. His mother says he was preparing to apply to medical schools and wanted to join the humanitarian group Doctors Without Borders. Friends say he was “a bright, smart and loving kid who enjoyed playing video games, baking and sciences.”

The SIU has designated four subject officers who fired their guns and five witness officers. Five SIU investigators and three forensic investigators have been assigned to examine the killing.

Jeff Shantz is a long-time anti-authoritarian organizer, researcher, and writer who lives and works on Kwantlen, Katzie, and Semiahmoo territories (Surrey, British Columbia).