Charges laid in death of Toronto-area police officer

A 19-year-old has been charged with manslaughter after a veteran police officer was dragged by a car and killed in the Toronto suburb of Markham on Thursday morning.

Const. Robert Plunkett, a 43-year-old father of three, approached the driver of a stolen Honda on a quiet residential street when the car suddenly reversed, said York Regional Police Chief Armand La Barge.

Plunkett, pinned between the car's open door and a tree, could not get away and was dragged onto a nearby lawn, where he was left withserious injuries, La Barge said.

Plunkett died in hospital soon after the incident, which occurred shortly before 6 a.m. ETon Ascot Crescent, near Birchmount Road and Steeles Avenue East.

"Right now, we're dealing with the loss of a brother, the loss of a fantastic police officer and the loss of a husband and a father," La Barge told reporters at a news conference.

Nadeem Jiwahhas been charged with manslaughter, but police say more charges are pending.

A second man, 23-year-old Baseer Yousafzai, has been charged with theft and breach of bail.

La Barge said Plunkett, a 22-year veteran who served with the force's Special Services Unit, was conducting an investigation into stolen airbags when the incident occurred.

Soon after Plunkett's death, flags were flying at half-mast at all York police stations.

"The organization is obviously struggling with having lost an officer," said Deputy Chief Bruce Herridge. "Whether you knew him or not, he had been with us for a long time and obviously many would have known him."

Plunkett is the first York Region officer to die on duty since 1984.

The mayor of Markham, Frank Scarpitti, said he was saddened by the death of Plunkett, a man who served as the chair of Ontario's Special Olympics in 2000.

"This certainly brings home the danger[police officers]face as they carry out their duties,"Scarpitti told CBC News.