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TORONTO — A veteran Toronto cop has been charged criminally for allegedly opening fire on a man at a construction site along the city’s harbourfront last fall.

Toronto Police say the accused officer and his partner responded to a radio call for a company alarm near Yonge St. and Queens Quay E. shortly after 11:30 p.m. on Nov. 15, 2017.

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“There was information that two males were inside the construction site,” spokesman Mark Pugash said Wednesday.

Once on scene, he said the two officers entered the construction site to conduct a search.

“During the search, (one of the officers) discharged his firearm at a man, missing him and striking a construction shed,” Pugash said.

Const. Jason Levesque, 44, was arrested on Tuesday and charged with careless use of a firearm.

Police revealed no further details.

However, a police source described the incident as “an accidental discharge” and explained it was a security guard who was nearly shot.

It was a new guard who wasn’t supposed to be in the building and he “startled” the officer, the source said.

Prior to this incident, the source said Levesque was “short listed” to join the Emergency Task Force. He has been a member of the service for 11 years.

The source said Levesque worked out of 41 Division in Scarborough for about a decade before moving to 51 Division last year.

Levesque is scheduled to appear in court at Old City Hall on April 4.

cdoucette@postmedia.com