Memorial wall to now honour officers who died by suicide

There is a new addition to the memorial honour wall at Toronto police headquarters that will pay tribute to members of the service who die by suicide after experiencing trauma brought on by their work.

- RAJU MUDHAR

Darius Garda was one of the first four officers honoured at the Because of the Line of Duty memorial at Toronto Police headquarters.

Previously, only officers who served in the world wars or those who died as a result of physical injuries were honoured, but now the “Because of the Line of Duty” memorial will give families the opportunity to apply to include former members of the Toronto Police Service who suffered from mental health issues that led them to take their own lives.

Dilnaz Garda’s brother, Darius, was a 29-year-old officer who died in 2016 after struggling with posttraumatic stress disorder following the fatal shooting of another man in a mental health crisis. Earlier in May, she attended a ceremony at TPS headquarters, where her brother was honoured as one of the first officers as part of the new memorial.