Teen accused in Toronto officer's shooting death appears in court

A 19-year-old man accused of fatally shooting a Toronto police officer made his second court appearance Friday, facing a first-degree murder charge. Nicholas Bennett appeared via Zoom at the Toronto Regional Bail Centre. He is accused of killing Const. Marc Pinizzotto, a member of the Emergency Task Force (ETF).

Pinizzotto was critically injured around 5:40 a.m. Thursday while executing a search warrant at a building on Martha Eaton Way. Officers were there as part of an investigation into shootings in the city. During an exchange of gunfire inside a fourth-floor apartment, Pinizzotto was struck by a bullet fired by the suspect. A second officer returned fire, hitting the suspect multiple times.

Both Pinizzotto and the suspected shooter were taken to hospital. Pinizzotto, 43, who had served for 18 years, was pronounced dead at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. The suspected shooter, identified as Bennett, remains in critical condition. Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw stated that the warrants executed were connected to incidents including a shooting at the U.S. Consulate on March 10, 2026.

An arrest warrant has also been issued for 19-year-old Zara Jabbi in connection with the consulate shooting, and she remains at large. Sheldon Tracy-Stewart, 18, was arrested Thursday in connection with the same incident. Court documents indicate Bennett is also charged in relation to two separate shootings in late March 2026, including one at an apartment building on Eglinton Avenue and Markham Road, and another at a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Gym on March 26. Bennett faces firearms offenses and charges related to committing an indictable offense while masked.