Shooting of Edmond Yu
| Date | February 20, 1997 |
|---|---|
| Location | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Coordinates | 43°38′18″N 79°23′30″W / 43.638420°N 79.391719°W |
| Type | Fatal shooting |
| Participants | Edmond Yu (death) Lou Pasquino (shooter) |
| Charges | None filed |
Edmond Wai-Hong Yu (余偉康;[1] October 2, 1961 – February 20, 1997) was a Hong Kong Canadian former medical student whose death after being shot by a constable of the Toronto Police Service sparked debates about the police's use of force, mental illness, and the treatment of those diagnosed with a mental illness.
Early life and mental illness
[edit]Yu was raised in Hong Kong and immigrated to Canada in 1982.[2] While young, Edmond won the Hong Kong city boxing championship. He attended York University from 1982 to 1984, studying pre-medicine. In 1984 he was accepted as a medical student at the University of Toronto.
In 1985, police arrested Yu and took him to the Clark Institute of Psychiatry, where he was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia.
Death
[edit]On February 20, 1997, Yu assaulted a woman at a bus stop, then boarded a bus. Police attempted to board the bus, at which point Yu, according to witnesses, raised a small hammer. Constable Lou Pasquino fired six shots, hitting Yu three times.
An official inquest in 1998–1999 cleared the police of wrongdoing and resulted in a number of recommendations. The inquest concluded, "Housing is a mental health issue and the absence of decent housing is a major determinant of health."[3]
A foundation to fund "a housing project for homeless men with mental health problems" has been set up in Edmond Yu's name. There have been a number of other memorials to Yu, such as Edmond Place (part of Parkdale Activity-Recreation Centre, which claims to be "a low-stress, high support, and non-medical organization for psychiatric survivors of the Mental Health System who also experience homelessness and would be considered 'hard to house' people", and The Edmond Yu Project.
David Hawkins made a documentary on Yu, The Death and Life of Edmond Yu, and Laura Sky made a documentary as well, Crisis Call.[4]
References
[edit]- ^ 楊婉文 (2014-07-25). "當年患精神病港移民遭擊斃 死者姊：警配攝錄機有新意". Sing Tao Daily. Archived from the original on 2018-01-05. Retrieved 2018-01-05.
- ^ Julia Nunes; Scott Simmie. Beyond Crazy: Journeys Through Mental Illness
- ^ "Homelessness and the Seriously Mentally Ill". Archived from the original on 2004-08-21.
- ^ "Ylife, January 30, 2006-The crisis call of Edmond Yu". Archived from the original on 2007-03-11. Retrieved 2006-04-21.
- Ann Curry-Stevens, An Educator's Guide for Changing the World: Methods, Models and Materials for Anti-oppression and Social Justice Workshops (Centre for Social Justice), p. 29