By Beyza Binnur Donmez
ANKARA (AA) - The Ontario police officer who shot and killed a 62-year-old Muslim with schizophrenia will not face any criminal charges, according to Canadian media.
Last June Ejaz Ahmed Choudry was shot twice in the chest by police when he was in a "state of crisis," as described by Constable Sarah Patten, but Special Investigations Unit (SIU) Director Joseph Martino decided that the officer who fired the shots acted reasonably, CBC News reported Tuesday.
Martino said the father of four, originally from Pakistan, was armed with a 20-cm (7.9-inch) kitchen knife when police arrived at the scene and shouted at him to drop the weapon in English.
The officers at the scene thought the man, who suffers from schizophrenia but was off his medication, was at risk of self-harm, said Martino.
Arguing that Choudry did not properly understand English, his family's lawyer told CBC that the family was "deeply disappointed" by the decision.
"Ejaz committed no crime. He did not deserve any of this," the lawyer said, adding he was killed within seconds after police entered the apartment.