The man accused of killing a Toronto police officer with a stolen snowplow earlier this year was remanded in custody during a brief court appearance today.
Richard Kachkar is charged with first-degree murder in the Jan. 12 death of police Sgt. Ryan Russell.
Kachkar, 44, appeared in front of a judge at the College Park courthouse via video link.
Russell, a 35-year-old husband and father, was struck by the snowplow on a snow-covered Toronto street as police were attempting to locate and stop the stolen vehicle, which had been involved in multiple collisions leading up to the fatal encounter.
Moments later, Kachkar was shot by police and arrested as a group of officers finally brought the rampage to an end.
Earlier this month, Ontario's Special Investigations Unit concluded there are no reasonable grounds to charge the Toronto police officer who shot Kachkar during the takedown, which unfolded quickly on a Toronto street.
Before the shots were fired, four officers attempted to subdue Kachkar with their police-issued Tasers, but the Tasers were ineffective, according to an SIU investigation.
Use of force justified: SIU
The SIU says the officer's decision to fire the gunshots was justified, given the extreme danger to the officers and the public, the snowplow driver's refusal to surrender, and the fact the driver stepped on the accelerator and pinned an officer's leg between the snowplow and a garbage truck seconds before the shots were fired.
The officer fired two shots through the driver's side window, striking Kachkar in the right shoulder area and left arm. Kachkar spent some time in hospital before he was placed in a detention centre.
