Toronto Police Officer Suspended After Death of Black Teen

A sale of a fake Apple Watch by a Black teenager ended tragically, and now the police officer accused of causing his death is free. Constable Calvin Au was charged with assaulting nineteen-year-old Chadd Facey in a Brampton parking lot in 2021. Off-duty officers Au and Gurmakh Benning had arranged to purchase the watch through Kijiji. When Benning discovered that the item was fake, the officers pursued Facey separately. Au ultimately forced him to the ground. Facey later died in the hospital that day from an intracerebral hemorrhage. 

Superior Court Justice Jennifer Woollcombe ruled that there was no conclusive evidence linking Au’s actions to Facey’s death; however, she criticized the officer for failing to use his police training to de-escalate the situation. Au now faces a three-year weapons ban and a criminal record. The Crown sought a four-month jail sentence, while the defense requested a conditional discharge. Justice Woollcombe emphasized that the ruling sends a message: “He could and should have tried to calm the situation.”

This decision comes amid numerous reports of excessive use of force by Toronto police, particularly in encounters involving Black residents. The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) noted that Toronto police were involved in 62 use-of-force incidents between 2013 and 2017. According to the Ontario Human Rights Commission, Black Torontonians were found to be 20 times more likely to be fatally shot by police during that period. 

In 2020, the figure increased significantly, with 949 such incidents reported, including physical altercations and instances of officers drawing firearms. Black individuals accounted for 39 per cent of those affected, despite being a smaller percentage of the population. Cases have included officers kicking an impaired resident, excessive use of Tasers, and allegations of dishonesty in court. A notable lawsuit accuses officers of unlawfully detaining and Tasering a Black University of Toronto student.