A Toronto police officer was fatally shot Thursday morning during a high-risk operation linked to the March shooting at the U.S. Consulate in Toronto. Constable Marc Pinizzotto, 43, an 18-year veteran and member of the Emergency Task Force, was killed in a gunfire exchange on the fourth floor of a North York high-rise.
Law enforcement personnel survey the scene outside the U.S. Consulate in Toronto, Canada, after shots were fired, March 10, 2026. Kyaw Soe Oo/REUTERS
Police arrested 19-year-old Nicholas Bennett at the scene with gunshot wounds; he faces first-degree murder charges. A second suspect, 19-year-old Zara Jabbi, remains at large and is considered armed and dangerous. Authorities have issued a strict warning for the public not to approach Jabbi.
The raid targeted individuals connected to the March 10 incident, where gunmen fired multiple shots at the U.S. consulate building. While no injuries occurred during that initial attack, U.S. prosecutors have since linked it to Mohammad Baqer Saad Al-Saadi, an Iraqi national accused of leading a terrorist network associated with Kataib Hezballah, an Iran-backed group.
A Shomrim Toronto Jewish Safety Patrol vehicle is seen under police tape outside the Beth Avraham Yoseph of Toronto (BAYT) synagogue, after gunshots were fired at the building in Vaughan, Ontario, Canada, April 9, 2026. Creative Touch Imaging Ltd./NurPhoto/Getty
The investigation also encompasses a series of shootings targeting synagogues in the Greater Toronto Area earlier this year. U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra extended condolences to Pinizzotto’s family, honoring his courage and sacrifice.