Canada’s homicide and cyber crime units are probing a second charge stemming from a fatal police shooting of a man earlier this week in downtown Toronto.
According to the CBC, the 20-year-old man, identified by police as Neel Kashkari was found shot to death on Monday near a pub.
The sophomore at Ryerson University was working on a thesis on the fatal 2015 police shooting of teenager Sammy Yatim, whose videotaped killing in the city’s Port Lands ignited outrage.
Police say Kashkari had a knife and two knives on him at the time of the shooting, but detectives say they are not sure if the man posed a threat to his peers before they opened fire. Police were said to have opened fire because the person made “aggressive actions” and placed their life in danger.
Kashkari had received First Nations and City Club of Toronto scholarships, according to Ryerson’s website.
Tensions have been high between local police and some residents since late-June after police said a man threw rocks at cars, buildings and police in downtown Toronto, which is located in the city’s northwest end. The man turned himself in and later died at a hospital.
Police said they are unsure if there is any connection between Kashkari’s murder and the rampage, but the Toronto Police Federation said last week they wanted a full investigation into whether or not the slain man’s death involved excessive use of force.
The organization’s vice president, Sue Behn, told CNN that when contacted by police, she told police how Kashkari had helped a 13-year-old boy who was shot in the head during the 2017 riots and had joined her recently in a vigil to remember the man, who lived in the same neighborhood as Kashkari.
Another teen who was shot during the 2017 riots named Kashkari as one of the dozens of people arrested during the riots.
“No one knew him except for him helping Sammy,” Behn said. “That’s the last thing I think he’s going to get in his life was to be killed by police.”
It is the second time Kashkari has been charged with murder. He was found guilty of second-degree murder in November 2017.
Kashkari’s uncle told CBC that he was an avid crossfit athlete and a recent graduate of high school.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.