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<span style="font-style: italic">Eric Osawe, 26, was shot to death during a 2010 police raid on an Etobicoke apartment. Const. David Cavanagh, inset, is charged with second-degree murder.</span>
A Toronto police officer charged with manslaughter in the shooting of a Toronto man in 2010 has had his charge upgraded to second-degree murder.
Const. David Cavanagh, who was with the emergency task force, was originally charged with manslaughter in the death of Eric Osawe, 26.
Prosecutor John McInnes said that the charge had been raised to murder Wednesday.
Osawe was fatally shot after police arrived with a search warrant and a heavily armed tactical unit at an Etobicoke apartment on Sept. 29, 2010.
The Special Investigations Unit, which investigates police incidents involving death, serious injury or allegations of sexual assault, said there was “an interaction” between Osawe and police.
Osawe, a Nigerian-born father of two, was shot and his younger brother, Ebony, 23, arrested on weapons charges when officer with the guns and gangs unit and ETF officers entered at about 1:30 a.m. on Dunbloor Rd. near Kipling Ave. and Bloor St. W.
Following Osawe’s death, Cavanagh became the subject officer of the SIU probe, while 14 other officers were questioned as witness officers.
Members of Osawe’s family were in court watch proceedings.
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