A Toronto Police officer, struck by a stolen snow plow Wednesday morning, has died of his injuries.
Sgt. Ryan Russell, 35, was pronounced dead at St. Michael's Hospital hours after being hit by the plow. Russell, an 11-year veteran of the force, leaves behind a wife and young son, Chief Bill Blair said at a morning press conference outside of the hospital.
"This is a very tragic day for the city of Toronto and for the Toronto Police Service," Blair said.
Russell worked out of downtown 52 Division.
"He was out doing his job in the early morning hours in the city in a very dangerous situation and put his life in danger," Blair said with a grimace, as Deputy Chief Kim Derry stood at his side, shedding tears. "Tragically, he has lost his life doing his job. This is the worst of days of the Toronto Police Service."
A call about the plow, stolen near Parliament and Dundas Sts., came in around 5:20 a.m., Const. Wendy Drummond said. The officer was struck while attempting to stop it on Avenue Rd. near Davenport Rd. just after 6 a.m.
Paramedics found the officer without vital signs. The officer was rushed to St. Michael's Hospital.
Police shot the suspect – who fled the scene, driving erratically – near Keele St. and Humberside Blvd. around 7:15 a.m. The suspect was also taken to St. Mike's hospital. A second officer was injured in that confrontation.
Michael McCormack, head of the Toronto Police Association, said Russell's father was also a cop.
"Coming from a policing family, this is the worst nightmare," he said. "People talk about police officers and what we do in an abstract term, crunched down to business and numbers ... well, this is what we do. We go out everyday and we put it on the line and this is what can happen and we all know it. It's the ultimate sacrifice he can make."
Russell was promoted to sergeant within the last year. He was a street gang expert who had worked with the Gun and Gang Task Force. He lectured province wide to police about street gangs.
At 52 Division on Dundas St. just west of University Ave., Russell's fellow officers clustered around televisions waiting for the latest information.
"He was a good man," one officer said. "I'm still trying to wrap my head around the news."
Source: Toronto Sun (More extensive coverage below)
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