Toronto police officer killed in shootout during raid linked to U.S. consulate gunfire

Canadian authorities said Thursday evening that a police officer was killed in a raid on an apartment in Toronto as part of an investigation into an earlier shooting in March at the U.S. consulate in the city. According to reports, one of the suspects was seriously wounded during the raid and is being treated in hospital. At the same time, a manhunt is underway for another suspect, identified as 19-year-old Zara Jabi.

Police said the raid was part of an investigation into several shootings, including the shooting on the night of March 10 at the U.S. consulate in Toronto. Two suspects got out of a car at 4:30 a.m., fired several bullets at the consulate and fled. The shooting caused damage to the front of the building, but there were no casualties. It came amid growing tensions worldwide over fears of terrorist attacks on Israeli and American targets, in retaliation for the two countries' strikes in the war against Iran. In late February, a few days before the shooting at the embassy, two shootings also took place at synagogues in the Toronto area.

At around 5:45 a.m., tactical police teams, armed with assault rifles, handguns and Tasers, raided a residential tower in a northwest neighborhood of the city. In the raid, which was carried out under a court search warrant, gunfire broke out and one officer was killed, 43-year-old Mark Pinitzotto, who had served in the police force for 18 years. He died of his wounds in hospital, and one suspect who was seriously injured was also taken there. His identity has not been released. A manhunt is underway for the second suspect, Zara Jabi, whom Canadian media reported it is still unclear whether he was involved in the shooting at the officer.

Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw warned the public that Jabi is considered "armed and dangerous," and urged anyone who sees him to call 911 immediately. Addressing the fugitive suspect, he said, "I urge you to turn yourself in."

The deadly shootout and the current manhunt come just before a World Cup match to be held tomorrow in Toronto between hosts Canada and Bosnia and Herzegovina. It will be the first match played in Canada at the soccer World Cup, which it is hosting together with the U.S. and Mexico.

About the fallen officer, Pinitzotto, the police chief said through tears that he was "a hero in his life, not in his death," and sent his condolences to the officer's relatives: "There are no words to describe the consequences for Mark's family, who expected him to come home today."

U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra also sent condolences to the officer's family, saying the raid in which he was killed was "an example of the close cooperation we have in law enforcement between the two countries, of how we work together, and of the risks involved in these types of activities."

Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow said that for her, the officer's death is personal because she has known his mother for 20 years. "Their grief is felt across this city," she said.