At least six people were killed in police deployments in Canada in June 2025. This means at least 48 people have been killed by cops so far this year.

In May, seven people were killed in police actions in Canada. At least eight people were killed in April 2025 and six people were killed in March 2025. A dozen people were killed by police in February, the deadliest month of Canadian police violence since August 2024, when 13 people were killed. In January 2025, at least nine people were killed by police. 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.

In 2024, at least 100 people were killed in police actions. There were at least 97 police-involved deaths in Canada in 2023, while in 2022 there were at least 117 police-involved deaths.

In June, one person was shot and killed by police, two died in custody, two died during police actions, and one person was killed in a fall. Of the victims, four were reported to be in crisis or distress at the time police were deployed against them.

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.

 

June 5. Kamsack, Saskatchewan RCMP. Custody.

A 61-year-old man died in Kamsack, Saskatchewan, RCMP custody on June 5. The Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT) reports that the man was arrested on June 3. He made a first appearance in court on June 4 and was remanded into RCMP custody pending a court appearance scheduled for June 6. On June 5, he was located unresponsive by a cell guard at the Kamsack detachment. EMS attended and he was declared dead. It has been reported that his family has been notified of his death.

 

June 11-13. York Regional Police. Shooting.

York Regional Police (YPS) shot a 34-year-old Man in Unionville, Ontario, on June 11. The man died of those injuries on June 13, while in hospital.

The province’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU) reports that at approximately 4:45 AM on June 11, a resident of a condominium complex on 278 Buchanan Drive contacted police to report hearing a dispute coming from another unit. YPS officers arrived at the unit, where they say they heard sounds of a disturbance from inside. They entered the unit and “a short time later” one officer fired their weapon, striking the man.

Police say the man was actively attacking a woman and she sustained stab wounds. Both were transported to hospital for treatment of serious injuries. 

The SIU has designated one subject official and three witness officials. The woman remains in hospital in stable condition.

Police claims have not been confirmed publicly.

 

June 17. Toronto Police Service. Fall.

A 46-year-old man who was in crisis fell to his death during a police deployment in Toronto in the early morning of June 17.

The SIU reports that at approximately 1:56 AM, Toronto Police Service officers responded to a call about a person in crisis at a condo in the area of Church Street and the Esplanade. Officers breached the door and found the man. A short time later, the man fell from the balcony to the ground below. Paramedics were called to 1 Church Street, and the man was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The SIU has assigned one investigator and two forensic investigators to examine the death.

Policing is not care and police are not the proper response for someone in crisis. Numerous people have fallen to their deaths in Canada when police have been sent for crisis calls.

 

June 22. Marston, Quebec. Sûreté du Québec.

The Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes (BEI) is investigating a man’s death during an intervention involving the Sûreté du Québec (SQ) in the municipality of Marston, near Lac-Mégantic, on June 22.

According to the BEI, at approximately 12:23 PM, a person reportedly made a 911 call for another person in crisis who had access to a firearm. Police located the person in crisis around 2:00 PM, set up a security perimeter, and then reportedly made contact with him.

Police claim that “the person then fired several shots” at them. The SQ’s tactical intervention group reportedly arrived on the scene around 8:30 PM and used their armoured vehicle to approach the home. Police claim the person fired several shots at the police and the armoured vehicle.

A police officer fired at the person. Later, around 11:50 PM, officers reportedly discovered the person unconscious on the floor of the home. The person was taken to hospital, where they were pronounced dead.

Five BEI investigators have been assigned to examine the case. The BEI is not an independent agency and uses other police forces, in this case the Montreal Police Service (SPVM), for investigations.

 

June 23-24. Quebec City Police Service.

The BEI is investigating the death of a person in crisis during a Quebec City Police Service (Service de police de la Ville de Québec) deployment on the evening of June 23 and morning of June 24.

According to the BEI, at approximately 11:23 PM on June 23, a call was reportedly made to 911 regarding a person who had allegedly made suicidal comments and was in possession of a firearm. At around 11:33 PM, the first police officers arrived at the scene and established a security perimeter around the residence. They allegedly tried to contact the person inside but were unsuccessful.

At around 2:27 AM, a net-type operation was reportedly launched. At around 3:45 AM, the tactical intervention group (GTI) arrived on the scene and at around 4:15 AM, GTI agents reportedly entered the residence and found the person unconscious.

Paramedics then joined the police inside, where the person was pronounced dead.

Five BEI investigators have been assigned to examine the death.

Policing is not care. Police are not the proper response for someone in crisis.

 

June 27. Manitoba RCMP. Custody.

A man in distress died in Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) custody in Chemawawin Cree Nation on June 27. According to the Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba (IIU), at approximately 2:27 PM, RCMP officers from the Chemawawin detachment received a call regarding a man “behaving erratically.” Officers went to the scene on Albert Street and located a man lying in the middle of the street in medical distress. Police took the man into custody and transported him to the local nursing station. The man was unresponsive upon arrival and life-saving efforts were made, but he was pronounced dead.

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).

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