Ontario's police watchdog has found no grounds to charge Halton Regional Police officers tailing a man as he shot a lawyer outside his Toronto office.
Lawyer J. Randall Barrs was hit by bullets at about 3 p.m. on September 20th, 2016 while standing behind his car in the driveway in his office on Bedford Rd near Bloor St W and Avenue Rd.
Grayson Delong is accused of shooting Barrs while several Halton police officers were closeby. He now faces 15 criminal charges including attempted murder. A report from the Special Investigations Unit released Tuesday details what is alleged to have happened in the hours before Delong is said to have pulled the trigger.
Read the full SIU report here.
The SIU says a plainclothes police team in unmarked cars had been monitoring Delong since a morning court appearance in Brampton on charges tied to a break and enter.
In the afternoon, the SIU says Delong parked his car on Admiral Rd in Toronto, around the corner from Barrs' office. When he got out, officers saw that Delong was wearing a disguise--a blonde wig and a reflective construction vest. The SIU says Halton officers suspected Delong was going to commit a robbery.
"After Mr. Delong donned his disguise, the team consulted with nearby police services to determine if Mr. Delong matched the descriptions of any wanted persons. He did not,” writes SIU director Tony Loparco.
After about an hour in a nearby park, the SIU says Delong got back in his car and drove to Bedford Rd, parking across the street from Barrs' office. After a few minutes, Delong got out of the car then got back in, slouching down in the backseat. The subject officer went into the stairwell of a nearby building so he could watch Delong.
The SIU says what happened next was jammed into a matter of 20 seconds.
Delong allegedly jumped out of his car and shot a man, who we now know to be Barrs in the driveway of his office. Barrs fell to the ground as Delong ran back to his car. It was at that moment that the officer who had been in the stairwell ran onto Bedford Rd, pointed his gun at Delong and yelled "Police, police, police!”
But Delong didn't stop for the officer.
The SIU says he got into his car and pulled away in a "jerky motion", then abruptly stopped. Delong fired a gun through the rolled up driver's window, sending glass onto the street before continuing along Bedford Rd.
The SIU says the subject officer aimed at Delong's car and fired three times. Once it rolled to a stop and into an unmarked police car, Halton officers discovered Delong slumped over onto the car's front passenger seat. He'd been hit by two bullets.
When it comes to the shooting, SIU Director Tony Loparco finds the subject's officer's actions were "reasonable, responsive, measured and thoughtful”. Loparco does not see that there was less violent way to arrest Delong, who the officer believed posed a risk to police and to the public.
Loparco does not believe Halton Police's lack of intervention before the shooting warrants charges. He had considered whether criminal negligence ultimately resulted in Barrs' shooting.
"A review of the HRPS team’s assignment and efforts leads me to the conclusion that there is no basis for reasonable grounds to believe that the offence of criminal negligence causing bodily harm was committed. While his activities certainly warranted suspicion, Mr. Delong was not arrestable for any offences prior to his approaching the male and discharging a firearm."
NEWSTALK 1010 has reached out to Barrs for comment on the SIU's findings.