Cop tells inquest that mentally ill man was a threat even after being shot

TORONTO – An officer who handcuffed a mentally ill Toronto man moments after the 29-year-old had been shot by police says he had to secure the bleeding man because he still posed a threat.

Const. Nicholas Alley has told an inquest into Michael Eligon’s death that the man was advancing with two pairs of scissors — which police considered “deadly weapons” — and had refused to comply with repeated commands from officers to drop them.

He says Eligon, clad in a hospital gown, still hadn’t let go of the scissors when he crumpled to the ground, which was why Alley kicked at the man’s hands before handcuffing him.

Eligon died in February 2012 after fleeing from a Toronto hospital, where he had been involuntarily admitted under the Mental Health Act.

The Special Investigations Unit — Ontario’s police watchdog — has cleared authorities of wrongdoing in Eligon’s death.

The officer who shot Eligon is expected to testify at the inquest later today.

The inquest is also examining the similar police shooting deaths of Reyal Jardine-Douglas and Sylvia Klibingaitis, who were also thought to be experiencing mental health issues when they were gunned down by officers in the Toronto area.