Well-known Toronto lawyer shot in brazen daylight attack
Halton officer doing surveillance at scene then shoots assailant
A Toronto criminal lawyer was shot in the leg by an unidentified man in the driveway of his Annex office Tuesday afternoon. Sources in the legal community confirmed the victim was Randall Barrs, 66.
His assailant, seated in a silver Honda Civic, was then himself shot by a Halton plainclothes officer doing surveillance in the area, according to Special Investigations Unit spokesperson Jason Gennaro. It’s not clear why the surveillance was being done.
The SIU, which probes cases of serious injury or death involving interactions with police, was called to the scene on Bedford Road near Prince Arthur Avenue at about 3:30 p.m., after the incident ended with both men being taken to a trauma centre in serious condition.
It has designated one subject officer and four witness officers in its investigation of the shots fired by the Halton officer.
Toronto police are conducting the investigation of the shooting of Barrs.
The alleged shooter, 51, remained in serious condition Tuesday night. Police did not identify him, nor confirm whether he was known to police.
Criminal defence lawyer Clayton Ruby described Barrs as a very well-respected lawyer who has argued before the Supreme Court of Canada and represented clients in many drug and gun cases.
“Criminal lawyers are very rarely attacked,” he says.
One of the few times it has happened, he recalls, was when a Montreal mafia lawyer Sidney Leithman was shot and killed 25 years ago, murdered by gunmen in an SUV as he sat in his car at a red light.
The violent attack came as a shock to criminal defence lawyer Greg Lafontaine, who has known Barrs more than 25 years.
“For many years now, Randy has defended people facing very serious criminal charges. He wasn’t somebody working out on the periphery,” Lafontaine said, describing him as “a well-known member of the established criminal bar and … always pleasant to deal with.”
“Mr. Barrs is widely recognized as one of the top trial lawyers in the nation and defended over 20 murder cases in his first decade of practice,” says Barr’s biography on his website.
Restaurant manager Edwin Vertani said he was at work Tuesday afternoon when he heard a series of loud pops, which he thought at first were car tires exploding.
“I would not have even believed it was shots, because in this area these things don’t happen . ... But then I saw people outside running and I thought, ‘It’s got to be shots,’” he said.
When he left his restaurant, Fieramosca, steps from Prince Arthur Avenue and Bedford Road, Vertani saw a silver Honda Civic boxed in by two SUVs.
A bald man was slumped over, apparently unconscious after being shot, in the driver’s seat, Vertani said, adding he believes the SUVs were driven by plainclothes police officers.
“It’s very strange that they were already there . ... To have the police officers right there, in the same second that he was shot.”
“What hurts me a lot is that ... the criminal lawyer that was shot is a very good customer of ours. He’s been coming here for 24 years,” Vertani added, describing Barrs as a “very nice guy” who came in for lunch at least twice a week.