Police Chief stands by promotion of officer who killed two Black men in the 90s

Toronto police chief backs decision to appoint police officer accused in court of beating two black men after murdering two black men in 1990s I am asking about the decision.

Responding to questions from CTV News Toronto at an unrelated press conference, Chief Myron Demkiw said Supt. Rick Shank was investigated by police watchdogs decades ago.

Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw answers media questions about Supt. Rick Shank.Since then Shank has been performing at “the highest level”, Professional standard unitliaise with police oversight agencies and hold officers accountable.

“He was acquitted and acquitted. And he was an exemplary police officer serving the public and keeping our city safe,” said Demkiw.

But the chief avoided answering calls from Toronto City Councilman Jamal Myers To make public the record of the decision to promote Demqueu over other qualified candidates without Shank’s background.

“I was uneasy. A lot of people were disturbed,” Myers said in an interview. “They should have known that there would be this kind of reaction to this appointment, especially from the black community.

“They have a responsibility to show that they care enough about this individual and that this individual is the right person for the position,” he said.

Shank was hired two years earlier, and records show Demqueu was on a committee recommending him for promotion to the Toronto Police Service Commission.

In that package to the board of directors on promotion, there was no mention of Shank’s history in the 1990s.

In 1993, Shank murdered Ian Corey, stating that the young man had pointed a gun at him first. ‘ and called for transparency about what was then known as the ‘black organized crime unit’.

Attorney Peter Rosenthal represented Cory’s family at the 1995 inquest. Contacted by CTV NewsToronto this week, Rosenthal said he had concerns about Shank’s new role.

“In my view, a person who killed two people in this way under questionable circumstances should not be responsible for professional standards. He should not be allowed to continue as a police officer. ‘ said Rosenthal.

Toronto Police Supt. Rick Shank in this decades-old video. (CTV News Toronto)Later that year, a court ruling arrested a young man named Paul Reese after Shank and his partner stopped him in the street next to a car with a running motor. They testified that the man had pushed them away, and they chased him home, and his family testified that there had been a fight.

The civil lawsuit claimed Shank and his partner took Reese to a cemetery on the way to the police station and beat him. Video shows an unconscious Reese being dragged out of a police car, and photos from one court proceeding show Shank lifting his bloodied knuckles.

A criminal court judge said there was no good reason to arrest Reese.

Shank was not internally reprimanded for the incident, and the civil lawsuit was settled out of court.

In 1997, Shank shot and killed Hugh Dawson during a drug raid while an unarmed Dawson was in the driver’s seat of his car. The SIU charged Shank with manslaughter, alleging that Dawson had a gun in his hand. At the first trial, the jury hung. The second was acquitted.

In a statement, the Toronto Police Commission acknowledged that its promotion procedures may be involved in incidents that prompt police officers to “scrutinize, concern, complain or prosecute”, but to commit fraud. He said he would allow the promotion if he was not found.

“Board policy, and related service procedures and promotion processes, emphasize the need to ensure that all relevant information is considered when evaluating a service member’s suitability for promotion, and the importance of respecting the presumption of innocence. We are carefully balancing gender and our legal system,” the statement said.