TORONTO — A Toronto police officer who has earned international acclaim for the peaceful arrest of a man accused in a deadly van attack does not want to be hailed as a hero.
Deputy police chief Peter Yuen said the officer, Const. Ken Lam, feels there are many first responders and members of the public who should be praised for their actions in the moments after a van mounted a sidewalk, killing 10 pedestrians and injuring 14.
"He wants to make sure that everyone understands he was not a hero, he was merely doing a job," Yuen told a news conference on Wednesday.
Lam, who has been on the force for seven years, clearly exhibited and understood police training when he arrested 25-year-old Alek Minassian, the alleged driver of the van, the deputy chief added.
"That could have turned into a very tragic situation for more people — for the accused's family and for officer Lam's family, if (Lam) had opened fire," he said.
Video footage of the interaction shows Lam talking to Minassian, who can be heard shouting, "Shoot me,'' and "I have a gun in my pocket.''
"I don't care, get down or you'll get shot," Lam is heard shouting back.
Lam, 42, is in "good spirits" and has been off duty since the incident, taking time to recuperate, Yuen said.
"Any time an officer goes through a traumatic experience ... it is mandatory for the Toronto police service to have a debriefing and an aftercare program," Yeun said.
The aftercare program will include a visit with a psychologist, he said.
"When you go through traumatic experiences there's a cycle that you go through and … some people can rationalize this and digest this in three days, some it's three months, some will be a lifetime. For officer Lam it will be day by day," he added.
Yuen said he has been in "constant contact" with Lam since the arrest, even waking him up by text the last two mornings to ask how he is doing.
The deputy chief said he met Lam about five years ago through an internal support network for police officers of East Asian heritage.
Lam, who worked for several years as an engineer before becoming a police officer in his mid-30s, has made a name for himself among colleagues by spearheading charity campaigns or raising money for fellow officers in times of need, Yuen said.
"Anything that's required, he's there," Yuen said. "You don't even have to ask, he just happens to have a nose for (charity), he'll show up and say, 'I'll help you."'
WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THE VICTIMS OF THE DEADLY TORONTO VAN ATTACK
TORONTO — Ten people were killed after a van mounted a sidewalk along a busy street in north Toronto on Monday, ramming into pedestrians in its path. Here's what we know so far about the victims:
Munir Alnajjar
Alnajjar, a Jordanian citizen in his 70s, was visiting his family in Toronto with his wife. He had only been in the country for a couple of weeks when the van attack took place, according to Harry Malawi, a family friend and president of the Jordanian Canadian Society.
The family is in the midst of a three-day mourning period, said Malawi.
"They are secluded right now and they ask everybody to accept their privacy," he said. "We stand together, we want to help the family heal...physically, psychologically, emotionally and financially, they need all the help they can get."
Renuka Amarasingha
Amarasingha was an active member of Toronto's Sri Lankan community. A monk at a Toronto Buddhist temple Amarasingha frequented said she was a single mother of a seven-year-old boy.
Ahangama Rathanasiri said Amarasingha attended regular services at the temple and brought cookies to Sunday school students every week.
The Toronto District School Board said she had worked as a nutrition services staff member for the board since 2015.
They said Amarasingha had just finished her first day of work at Earl Haig Secondary School when she was killed Monday.
Anne Marie D'Amico
D'Amico worked at Invesco Canada, a U.S.-based investment firm with offices near the scene of the attack, and was remembered by those who knew her as a cheerful, friendly person.
Tennis Canada said D'Amico had volunteered at its marquis Rogers Cup tournament every summer since the age of 12, starting out as a "ball girl" and eventually heading its stadium control committee.
"She was a really friendly, warm person ... always caring for other people ahead of herself," said Gavin Ziv, vice-president of national events for Tennis Canada.
D'Amico had attended Ryerson university in Toronto and a fellow alum remembered her as an active student leader with top grades, a wide social circle and an indelible smile.
"Whether you kept in touch with her very closely or you didn't talk to her for this past year, it just felt like you saw her smile yesterday," Abdullah Snobar said.
Betty Forsyth
Forsyth was a resident of a Toronto Community Housing complex in the area where the van attack occurred. A neighbour said Forsyth's nephew called her to say she had died.
Mary Hunt described Forsyth — who she said was in her 90s — as a "lively person" who loved to feed the birds and squirrels on her regular walks through the neighbourhood.
"Everybody knew Betty because she used to walk in the morning to feed the animals," she said.
"I will miss her," the 84-year-old said of Forsyth, who had been her neighbour for more than 10 years.
Chulmin (Eddie) Kang
Kang, who worked at the Copacabana Brazilian Steakhouse in downtown Toronto, was identified by co-workers as one of the victims.
Joao Barbosa wrote on Facebook that Kang's "daily happiness" was being missed at the restaurant.
"It's unbelievable that we lost you Eddie," he wrote. "In our last encounter you called me 'Amor mio' smiling to me when I arrived at Copacabana ... Rest in peace."
Mailee Ly, another co-worker, remembered Kang as a warm, friendly presence at the restaurant.
"It hurts knowing I won't be able to see your bright smile every weekend, or hear you say 'Hi' to everyone in your energetic voice," she wrote on Facebook. "I don't think you knew the touch and influence you had on everyone at Copa, simply because of your kind nature, and passion for cooking."
Dorothy Sewell
Sewell's death was confirmed by her grandson, Elwood Delaney, of Kamloops, B.C.
Delaney described his 80-year-old grandmother as an avid sports fan who "almost had as much love for the Blue Jays and Leafs as she did for her family."
"(She was) the best grandmother anyone could have asked for," he said.
