A Toronto police officer who fatally shot a hammer-wielding man in the city two years ago is speaking publicly about the incident for the first time as he testifies at a coroner's inquest into the man's death.
Const. Andrew Doyle told the inquest he feared for his life when he saw Andrew Loku holding a hammer in an apartment building hallway shortly after midnight on July 5, 2015.
Doyle said he fired two shots at Loku when the man started walking towards him and his partner with the hammer raised.
The constable said the shots were necessary to ``stop the threat.''
Earlier Wednesday, the inquest heard a 911 call from a woman who said Loku had threatened to kill her friend.
Ontario's police watchdog has found that the officer who shot Loku did not exceed the range of justifiable force.
The Special Investigations Unit said the officers had their guns drawn and repeatedly told Loku to drop the hammer as he walked towards them, but he was shot twice when he came within two or three metres of one officer.
Loku's death has sparked protests from the Toronto chapter of Black Lives Matter.
Last year, after the SIU's findings, the group's members camped out in front of Toronto police headquarters for days and marched on the provincial legislature to call for an overhaul of Ontario's police watchdog and the release of the name of the officer who shot Loku.
The inquest in Loku's death began June 5 and is expected to hear from approximately 20 witnesses.