At least four people were killed by police in Canada in October 2025. This means that at least 76 people have been killed by cops so far this year.

At least eight people were killed in police actions in Canada in September 2025, while at least five people were killed in August 2025, and at least 11 in July. At least six people were killed in June and seven in May. At least eight people were killed in April and six people were killed in March. 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.

Two of the victims were shot and killed. Two people died in police custody. One person was described as being in crisis at the time they were killed.

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 (IIO) of British Columbia lists two deaths (October 1 in Langley involving the RCMP and October 12 in Victoria involving the Victoria Police Service) for which there is no reporting and for which their investigation information has not been made public.

October 6. Dryden OPP. Custody.

A 41-year-old man died in Dryden OPP (Ontario Provincial Police) custody on October 6. The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) reports that the man was arrested at a residence in Dryden on the afternoon of October 5 for breaching bail conditions. He was detained in a cell at the Dryden detachment. At about 6:25 AM on October 6, the man went into medical distress in his cell. Officers called for EMS and the man was transported to hospital in Dryden. He was pronounced dead there.

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

October 11. Charlottetown Police Services. Custody.

A man was killed in Charlottetown Police Services (CPS) custody after being tased while in crisis. The Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT) reports that on the morning of October 11, an adult man was processed by CPS when he started to behave erratically and appeared to be having a mental health crisis. He was placed in another room and during an alleged struggle two officers subdued and handcuffed him. During this time, a third officer deployed a conducted energy weapon (CEW/Taser) on the man. He was transported to hospital by police but went into medical distress during the drive. He was later pronounced dead.

October 14. Eastern Passage, Nova Scotia. Halifax RCMP. Shooting.

A woman was shot and killed by a Halifax RCMP officer in Eastern Passage, Nova Scotia, on October 14. It is reported that the victim was in her late 20s. According to the Serious Incident Response Team (SiRT), RCMP were called regarding an assault just before 2 PM to a residence on Cedar Lane in the community, which is about 15 kilometres southeast of downtown Halifax. Police claim that when they arrived at the scene, they found a woman in possession of a knife and discharged a conducted energy weapon. Police claim that the woman “continued to approach with a knife” and an officer shot her. She was pronounced dead soon after.

Police claims have not been independently confirmed publicly.

October 22. Anthony Deschepper. Niagara Regional Police Service. Shooting.

A Niagara Regional Police Service (NRPS) officer shot and killed Anthony Deschepper (38) in Niagara Falls in the early morning of October 22. It is reported that police were looking for Deschepper in connection with the fatal shooting of Savannah Kulla (29) in Brampton, Ontario, and alleged abduction of his one-year-old child the day before. The child, a one-year-old girl, had been found safe with family members in the Niagara Region following an Amber Alert.

Police located Anthony Deschepper around 2:30 AM in a vehicle at a gas station near Thorold Stone and Montrose roads in Niagara Falls. The NRPS emergency task unit became involved and “following an interaction with officers,” an NRPS officer shot Deschepper multiple time. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The SIU reports that a firearm was recovered at the scene that belonged to the victim but according to investigators, there is no evidence at this time that he discharged the gun.

The SIU has assigned five investigators and two forensic investigators to examine the killing by police. Police claims have not all been independently confirmed publicly.

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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