Flights at Toronto Pearson International Airport continued without disruption on Thursday following an early morning police-involved shooting that left one man dead outside Terminal 1. Despite the fatal incident, airport officials confirmed there was no threat to public safety and that all flight operations remain normal.
In a post shared mid-morning, officials stated, “Flights at Toronto Pearson continue to operate normally at this time,” while advising travellers to use the roadway to Terminal 1 Arrivals, as access to Departures remains closed due to an active Peel Regional Police investigation. The Terminal 1 parking garage is open, and passengers were also directed to park at Terminal 3 or the Viscount Station Kiss and Fly lot and take the airport train to Terminal 1.
The shooting is now under investigation by Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU), which oversees cases involving police when there is serious injury or death. According to a preliminary report from the SIU, Peel Regional Police officers responded to a call about a man in distress inside an SUV near the Terminal 1 departures area just before 7 a.m.
Shortly after officers located the man, he allegedly produced a firearm. The SIU stated that three officers discharged their weapons. Despite emergency response efforts, the man, identified only as being 30 years old, was pronounced dead at the scene. No police officers were injured.
The SIU emphasized that this was an isolated incident and that there is no threat to the general public. Six investigators and three forensic specialists have been assigned to the case, and the agency is asking anyone with information, photos, or video footage related to the event to contact the lead investigator at 1-800-787-8529.
As of 8:30 a.m., the police investigation was still underway, and airport traffic around Terminal 1 continued to be rerouted. Pearson officials assured travellers that they are closely monitoring the situation and will provide updates as needed.