A longtime Toronto police officer is being remembered as a “great guy” and mentor after his death in an apparent suicide at downtown police headquarters.

An officer with 21 years on the force, Const. Mike Austin died Thursday night shortly after his shift at Toronto Police Operations Centre. Though his death is being probed by Ontario’s Office of the Chief Coroner, Toronto police Chief Mark Saunders confirmed Friday that his death is not suspicious and is being investigated as a suicide.

“We are grieving the tragic loss of our friend and colleague, and we offer condolences and support to the member’s family at this time,” Saunders said on Twitter Friday.

“Mike was loved by many and he will be missed,” he said.

According to a source with knowledge of the death, Austin died inside the parking garage at police headquarters.

The death at the College St. building — the home base of the force, housing the offices of the chief and the Toronto Police Services Board, alongside major police units including the homicide squad — cast a pall over headquarters Friday as word spread.

In the early morning hours, Saunders sent an email to all Toronto Police Service members advising them of the death and urging them to talk to someone for help if they needed it. Members of the service’s Critical Incident Response Team were brought in to offer support throughout the day Friday in the auditorium at police headquarters, and Saunders’ note also included a list of mental health and wellness resources.

“The loss of one member affects all of us as a police family. It is important we grieve and support each other through this tragic time,” Saunders said in the internal email.

“He was a great guy; he’ll be missed,” said Toronto Police Association president Mike McCormack in an interview Friday. “It’s so sad, for him and his family.”

Before working out of police headquarters, Austin walked the beat with downtown’s 51 division. In 2006, he was shot at by a man in Regent Park, an incident he recalled in harrowing detail at a trial in 2007.

“You can run really fast when someone is trying to kill you,” he told the court.

Condolences began pouring in online Friday as news of Austin’s death spread.

“Mike worked tirelessly with no fanfare behind scenes to help save people’s lives,” wrote Toronto police Const. Scott Mills on Twitter. “It often was not easy. He was the guy to call in middle of the night to track a concerning social media post to save a life. He cared.”

“I worked with (Police Constable) Mike Austin professionally back in my security days at Ryerson. He would often attend calls for us and was a great leader and mentor to many of us,” wrote Toronto police parking enforcement officer Erin Urquhart. “May he rest peacefully.”

“I am heartbroken to hear of Cst. Austin’s death. My deepest condolences to the Austin family, the @TorontoPolice family and the broader policing family,” wrote Ottawa police chief Peter Sloly, a former Toronto police deputy chief.

Last September, an Ottawa officer died by suicide inside police headquarters. A high ranking officer also died by suicide at Ottawa headquarters in 2014.

Austin’s death comes amid growing awareness about the mental health toll of policing, following a spate of suicides in recent years. After nine active or recently retired police officers died by suicide in 2018, Ontario’s chief coroner Dr. Dirk Huyer convened an expert panel to review the circumstances of the deaths and make recommendations.

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In a report released last fall, Ontario’s coroners were urged to start tracking police officer suicides.

“We cannot manage, improve or learn from things we do not know about,” read the report, which said the nine suicides in 2018 were believed to be “unprecedented” but there was no way to know for sure because the deaths aren’t tracked.

If you are considering suicide, there is help. Find a list of local crisis centres at the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention. Or call 911 or in Ontario call Telehealth at 1-866-797-0000

Wendy Gillis is a Toronto-based reporter covering crime and policing. Reach her by email at wgillis@thestar.ca or follow her on Twitter: @wendygillis

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