Two men charged after Toronto police officer shot
Updated: Sun Jan. 25 2009 7:11:37 PM

ctvtoronto.ca

Toronto police have arrested and charged two men after an officer was hit in the forehead by a shotgun pellet while pursuing two suspects in the aftermath of an attempted armed robbery at a west-end Beer Store on Saturday night.

Two officers were called to a Beer Store at 323 Symington Ave. around 7:30 p.m. and saw the two alleged robbers flee the scene.

During a foot chase that followed, one of the suspects turned and fired at one of the officers pursuing him.

Staff Sgt. Mark Tilley told CTV.ca on Sunday morning that the officer who was shot was treated and released from hospital.

"The officer received a minor -- if you can call it (that) -- gunshot injury to his forehead," he said.

"He was treated and released from hospital. He's fine. He's very lucky."

A statement from Toronto police issued Sunday morning indicated the firearm was a shotgun pellet.

As police rushed to secure the scene on Saturday night, there was further chaos when a police cruiser that had been left parked on nearby railway tracks that cross Wallace Ave. was hit by a Via train. No injuries were reported, but the cruiser sustained major damage, CTV Toronto said late Saturday night.

Police said the cruiser couldn't be moved because its battery had died. Investigators are also looking into the circumstances of the crash.

Jeron Powell, 32, is facing 10 robbery and weapons-related charges, while Craig Buckle, 29, faces seven robbery and weapons charges.

Both men were remanded into custody after making a court appearance at 1 p.m. Sunday at Old City Hall.

According to Tilley, the Toronto police hold up squad is now in charge of the investigation.

The shooting capped a violent week in Toronto, in which a 19-year-old man was shot twice on the Osgoode subway station platform on Thursday morning, shots were fired at a Honda civic travelling on Hwy. 401 on Thursday night and two people were later wounded in a shooting at Tonic night club early Saturday morning.

>_>hmmmm
it is a wake up call for the authority to think of solutions
i come from a country which everyone around the world term as draconian
any unauthorised person carrying a gun is hanged
anyone shooting at others is hanged
problem is it is very hard to find someone carrying a gun illegally
so rarely do people get hanged
here in canada the law is too soft on illegal gun possession
so daily we hear of shooting
and now even at the police
so how long are those in authority going to wake up to know something 'draconian' ought to be done to deter people from using the gun illegally?
the draconian people are having the last laugh for they are unable to find people to hang on a daily basis while the kind and understanding authorities are being shot at every now and then