At least nine people were killed through police actions in Canada in March 2026. Police have killed at least 17 people so far this year.

At least three people were killed by Canadian police in February 2026. In January, police killed at least five people. One person was also killed by private security serving in a hospital in January.

In 2025, at least 94 people were killed in Canadian police actions. In 2024, at least 100 people were killed. There were at least 97 police-involved deaths in Canada in 2023, while in 2022 there were at least 117 police-involved deaths.

Three people were shot and killed by police in March. One person died after being tased. Three people died in custody or arrest. One person died in a fall with police present. One person was struck by an officer driving. Two of the victims were reported as being in crisis at the time police encountered them.

Two of the victims have been identified publicly by family: Edward Essue and Nash Prystie. Two victims have been publicly identified as Black men, including Mr. Essue.

The details below are based on police reports, reports from oversight agencies, media reports, 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.

As well as the known cases, there are instances of police-involved deaths that have no formal public reporting. For example, the Independent Investigations Office of BC (IIO) lists three death investigations for which they provide no reporting: March 2, involving an RCMP Special Provincial Constable in Kelowna; March 18, involving the Burnaby RCMP; March 20, involving Fort St. John RCMP.

 

 

March 6. Edward Essue. Barrie Police Service. Tased.

Edward Essue, a 29-year-old Black man, was tased and killed during an arrest by Barrie Police Service on March 6. Essue’s family has identified him publicly as the victim. They say that the coroner’s report found that he died of cardiac arrest after being shot with a taser in his left leg and chest. Mr. Essue was the father of a young daughter.

Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU) reports that Barrie Police Service officers conducted a traffic stop in the area of Dunlop Street West and Frances Street at approximately 3:30 AM. During the stop, officers learned that a passenger was wanted on an arrest warrant. The man reportedly fled the vehicle, and officers pursued him on foot. In the backyard of a residence on Frances Street, there was some type of undisclosed “interaction” between the man and officers, during which police deployed a conducted energy weapon (taser) against the man. He went vital signs absent. He was transported to hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Tasers have been involved in numerous deaths, though police like to downplay their dangers.

Bailey Varley (25), Essue’s friend who was driving the vehicle when it was pulled over, says she was stopped because her temporary license plates had expired. She reports that she was arrested and taken from the scene while Mr. Essue was still in her car.

His loved ones describe Edward Essue as loving and gentle. They say he was excellent student athlete who studied at St. Andrew’s College and later engineering at Queen’s University.

The SIU has assigned three investigators and two forensic investigators to examine the killing.

 

March 9. Nash Prystie. Ontario Provincial Police. Shooting.

Nash Prystie (39) was shot and killed by Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officers near Kenora, in northern Ontario, on the evening of March 9. His family says that Mr. Prystie had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and they are coming forward to call for more and quicker help for people with mental health challenges. Mr. Prystie was born in Winnipeg and had strong ties to Kenora.

The SIU reports that OPP officers went to a property in the Ena Lake area, north of Kenora, for a call about a person in crisis. Officers located the man in question and allegedly attempted to negotiate. There was an undisclosed interaction, and officers discharged conducted energy weapons (tasers). Multiple officers shot their firearms, striking the man. EMS responded and pronounced the man dead at the scene. It has not been disclosed how much time passed between officers’ deployment of tasers when they discharged their firearms.

In a statement, the family said, “Mental illness is often invisible, complex and deeply challenging, not only for those experiencing it, but also for the people who love them. Nash reached out for help during times when he needed it most, and his experience reflects the gaps that still exist within our systems. We share this in the hope that it encourages change, compassion and better support for those facing similar struggles.”

The OPP have not responded, except to say, “These situations are often deeply complex and require more than a traditional police response.” Clearly. Police are not an appropriate response to someone in crisis and proper, non-police, health supports should be funded and resourced instead.

Mr. Prystie’s family had launched a gofundme campaign to help cover the costs of his funeral. They will donate a portion of the funds to the Schizophrenia Society of Canada in his memory.

The SIU has assigned three investigators and two forensic investigators to examine the killing. They have designated three subject officials and two witness officials at this point.

 

March 14. Sûreté du Québec. Shooting.

A man was shot and killed by the Sûreté du Québec in Saint-Raphaël (65 kilometers southeast of Quebec City) on March 14. The Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes (BEI) reports that at approximately 6:18 PM, a 911 call was made for a person who was allegedly in possession of a firearm. Police located the person at their home and established a security perimeter. Police claim they tried to make contact with him before he allegedly left his home with a firearm. A police officer opened fire, striking the man. The victim was transported to hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The BEI has assigned five investigators to examine the killing.

No other details are available at this time. Police claims have not been independently confirmed publicly.

 

March 18. Windsor Police Service. Shooting.

Windsor Police Service (WPS) officers shot and killed a 40-year-old Black man on the evening of March 18. Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit reports that police responded to reports of a man allegedly armed with a knife robbing a convenience store on Sandwich Street. Officers reportedly located the man in the area of Rankin Avenue and Wyandotte Street and deployed conducted energy weapons (tasers). Two officers then shot the man. He was transported to hospital where he was pronounced dead at 9:35 PM.

Video from the scene recorded by a neighbour shows five officers with guns drawn advancing on the man as he retreats, walking backwards. A Windsor police vehicle then pulls up to the rear of the man. In response, he advances towards police who shoot him.

The SIU has assigned three investigators and two forensic investigators to examine the killing.

 

March 19. RCMP. Yellowknife. Custody.

A 35-year-old man from Nunavut died in police custody in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, on March 19. The man was arrested at the Explorer Hotel at around 6:50 AM on report of someone making threats at the hotel and allegedly assaulting a woman. When police arrived, they determined the man was impaired and paramedics concluded he could be detained in a cell.

Shortly before 10 AM, the man was found unresponsive in the cell at the Yellowknife detachment. He was transported to Stanton Territorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. 

There is no independent police oversight body in NWT, so the Saskatchewan RCMP’s Serious Crimes Unit, which is part of the Major Crimes Branch, has been requested by NWT RCMP to take over the investigation –police investigating police.

 

March 23. Ontario Provincial Police. Arrest.

A 30-year-old man died during an arrest by OPP officers in Elk Lake (in northeastern Ontario) on March 23. The SIU reports that OPP received a call about a disturbance at a convenience store on Pine Street in Elk Lake and officers arrived at about 4:10 PM. They arrested a man and he went into medical distress. EMS attended and the man was taken to hospital in Englehart where he was pronounced dead.

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

 

March 26. Edmonton Police Service. Custody.

The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) is investigating a woman’s death in custody following her arrest by Edmonton Police Service (EPS) on March 26, 2026. ASIRT reports that at approximately 6:30 PM, EPS officers responded to a call about a woman causing a disturbance at a restaurant in the Mill Woods area. Witnesses told police that she was allegedly “acting erratically, yelling, and frightening customers.” When police arrived, the woman reportedly ran into another nearby restaurant and hid in a washroom there.

Officers found and arrested her, then called paramedics to attend the scene. According to ASIRT, the woman allegedly did not cooperate with paramedics’ attempts to assess her condition. Rather than take her to hospital, she was transported to the EPS Detainee Management Unit (DMU), a specialized unit for processing and monitoring at-risk or vulnerable detainees, at approximately 7 PM.

ASIRT reports that during transport, the woman allegedly continued to behave erratically. Yet, upon arrival, DMU staff found her unresponsive and called EMS to take her to the hospital. She died there shortly afterwards.

 

March 28. Bridgewater Police. Vehicle Strike.

On the night of March 28, a man was walking on the side of highway 103 near Tantallon, when he was struck by a vehicle. RCMP responded to the 911 call and the driver of the vehicle was identified as an off-duty Bridgewater Police officer. The man was pronounced dead shortly afterwards. No other details are available at this time.

 

March 31. Toronto Police Service. Fall.

Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit is investigating the death of a 51-year-old man in crisis who fell from a condominium in Toronto with Toronto Police Service (TPS) officers present on the evening of March 31. According to the SIU, at approximately 7 PM, the Peel Regional Police Service received a call regarding concern for a man’s well-being after he made threats of harming himself. Tracking the man’s phone, police determined he was in Toronto. The Toronto Police Service was notified, and officers tracked the man’s location to a condominium located at The Queensway and Windermere Avenue.

Complex management provided officers with key access to a unit. Upon entering the unit, officers reportedly communicated with the man. A short time later, the man fell from the unit’s balcony to the ground below.

Emergency medical services responded and live saving measures were attempted. Unfortunately, the man died on scene.

Two investigators and two forensic investigators have been assigned by the SIU to examine the death. One subject official and eight witness officials have been designated.

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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