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Body of Toronto police officer recovered from Lake Ontario near Polson Pier

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Toronto police Const. Darius Garda would never drink and drive. So he drank alcohol then took a cab to the Polson and Cherry Sts. area, a spot not far from his home base at 51 Division station. Then, according to police sources, Garda ended his life in the frigid waters of Lake Ontario.

The Cherry St. area, where industrial streets meet the lake, was fraught for Garda. In April 2010, he was among a group of 51 Division officers who fatally shot a mentally ill man, 49-year-old Wieslaw Duda.

Duda, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia, had been driving erratically through the streets. After trying to pull him over, officers fired 32 rounds at Duda as he accelerated towards them. One officer was struck by Duda’s car but suffered only minor injuries.

All the officers were cleared by the Special Investigations Unit, after the police watchdog found the use of deadly force was justified.

But despite all evidence that Duda’s death was a tragedy for everyone involved, Garda never got over it.

“He was a different person after,” a police source said, who described the much-loved officer, believed to be in his early 30s, as moral and sensitive.

Police sources told the Star Garda had been suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. One police source said he had been receiving professional help.

Toronto police would not comment on Garda’s death Thursday except to confirm the body found by the force’s marine unit just before noon Thursday was that of a deceased Toronto officer.

A search had been on since Wednesday evening, when police were called to investigate a report that a man had fallen into the water in the Polson and Cherry Sts. area.

“Tough day at work today for all of us at the Marine Unit,” one police officer wrote on Facebook Thursday night. “Thoughts with Darius’ family and his 51 Division family.”

The officer wrote that he had instructed Garda when he was in training at the Ontario Police College.

Garda’s death comes amid a growing awareness of PTSD among first responders, including police officers, firefighters and paramedics. On Monday, Ontario Labour Minister Kevin Flynn hinted that he would be introducing legislation aimed at increasing access to help for those in a field where suicides are a common occurrence.

“More needs to be done to support the mental health of our front-line staff,” Flynn said. “I know this type of conversation hasn’t always been the norm. And, as a result, people often felt stigmatized or embarrassed when it came to seeking help, but that is changing and we need to ensure it keeps changing.”

The new regulation would aim to cut the red tape for first responders by allowing them to access treatment for PTSD from the Workplace Safety Insurance Board without having to prove it was caused on the job.

One police source said Garda had recently been struggling to make ends meet because of challenges he experienced getting his PTSD recognized by WSIB, though the Star could not independently confirm this.

As of mid-January 2016, three first responders have died by suicide in Canada, according to the Tema Conter Memorial Trust, a PTSD support network founded by a former paramedic who suffered from the disorder after responding to the 1988 brutal murder of Tema Conter in Toronto.

On Sunday, Peel paramedic Martin Wood died suddenly and his family has asked that donations can be made to the Tema Conter Memorial Trust. According to the Caledon Enterprise, the family has asked that there be no uniforms or service vehicles at the funeral this weekend.

This is the second time this week that a police officer has been found dead in Toronto. According to a police source, an OPP officer was found dead Wednesday.

Officers within the downtown 51 Division were devastated as news of Garda’s death spread Thursday. On Twitter, Toronto police Chief Mark Saunders expressed thanks for “the outpouring of support and sympathy extended to us today” as the service grieved the officer.

Garda was described by colleagues as a mild-mannered officer who was far from a typical “tough guy” officer and closer to a social worker.

Last fall, a now-inactive crowd-funding initiative on the site YouCaring, titled “Our Brother in Blue,” was launched for Garda for “medical expenses.” His colleagues at 51 Division raised money for him at Christmastime.

According to a police source, Garda had been working a desk job while he dealt with health challenges and did not want to go back on the road, but was recently sent out on patrol. The Star could not independently verify Garda’s current assignment with the police force.

A 2014 coroner’s inquest into Duda’s death heard how the man’s mental health had been declining rapidly after he stopped taking his medication. Some of the recommendations that came out of the inquest were aimed at improving mental health care and communication with families and law enforcement.

Kurt Bergmanis, the lawyer who represented Duda’s family at the inquest, was surprised to hear of Garda’s death Thursday. He had questioned the officer during the inquest.

“It’s unfortunate that one of our finest has befallen such a tragedy,” he said.

Garda’s wife and parents could not be reached for comment Thursday, and requested privacy.

A post mortem will take place Friday.

With files from Oliver Sachgau and Verity Stevenson

Wendy Gillis can be reached at [email protected]

https://www.thestar.com/news/crime/2016/02/04/body-recovered-from-lake-ontario-near-polson-pier.html

 

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