Kat_YYZ
Senior Member
More than a decade after he was shot by a notorious gang member who was under surveillance by police, Kofi Patrong has won a lengthy, roller-coaster of a legal battle for the right to sue the Toronto Police Service for negligence.
....
Patrong was 19 when he was shot in the leg on April 19, 2004, at the height of gang warfare between two rival Scarborough gangs, the Galloway Boyz and the Malvern Crew. Patrong, who had no gang affiliations or criminal record, was one of several young black men in Malvern who were shot by [Tyshan] Riley, who mistakenly thought they were members of the rival Malvern Crew.
At the time of the shooting, Riley — since convicted of murder and attempted murder — was a suspect in a previous shooting, was thought to pose a major threat to public safety, and was being wiretapped and trailed by police.
Although police had both the opportunity and the grounds to arrest Riley before Patrong was shot, the lawsuit alleges, they did not.
“This unfortunate young man has been maimed for life. The police could have arrested Riley and taken him off the street, but they allowed him to run free hoping to gather evidence in a murder case they were investigating,†Barry Swadron, one of the lawyers representing Patrong, told the Star.
http://www.thestar.com/news/crime/2...patrong-wins-right-to-sue-toronto-police.html
This guy's story made me think of the PB2 investigation. Police wiretapping, following, seeing things, knowing things.... and doing... nothing.
Is it corruption -- do they show gang leaders what they have (evidence) and say "pay up or we'll nail you"? Is it incompetence -- a silly, almost childish notion that there is some "mega-big bust" at the end of every investigation -- like they're gonna find Jimmy Hoffa or Al Capone's vault??
Just like the Jane Doe rape case, they failed to protect the public. They sat around watching gang members wreaking havoc and didn't step in, hoping for more and more evidence of bigger crimes -- nevermind the "collateral damage".
[Ontario Superior Court Justice Frederick] Myers wrote that he wonders whether police would have made the same decision they are alleged to have made — to allow Riley to drive around without arresting him — if he had been heading into Forest Hill or Rosedale rather than Malvern, “but that is for another day.â€
Indeed.