Prominent Defence Lawyer Injured in Bizarre Shootout Involving Undercover Cops in Toronto

Well-known criminal defence attorney J. Randall Barrs, whose clients have included high-profile alleged drug dealers and murderers, was shot in the legs Tuesday afternoon in a broad-daylight shootout, moments before his attacker was taken down by undercover cops.

Plain-clothed Halton police officers were on scene within seconds and shot the man who had opened fire at the lawyer in the driveway of his Yorkville office, near the downtown University of Toronto campus.

The Special Investigations Units, which investigates incidents of violence involving police in Ontario, said the Halton cops were conducting surveillance in the area, but wouldn't go into detail about who they were surveilling and why they were so far out of their jurisdiction.

Ari Goldkind, another Toronto criminal defence lawyer, raised a number of questions that are now before the SIU.

"Did the police know this person was armed and dangerous? Did they lead Mr. Barrs or anybody else to the wolves?" he asked. "I'm hoping the answers are no and that the police officers are beyond reproach."

Both Barrs, who had suffered gunshot wounds to both legs, and the shooter, a 51-year-old man who has been identified several news outlets, citing police sources, as Grayson Delong, were taken to hospital. By Wednesday afternoon, both were recovering from non-life-threatening injuries.

Delong was supposed to appear in court on Wednesday, but didn't show because he was still in hospital, the Canadian Press reported. He's facing 15 charges, including attempted murder, use of a firearm to commit an indictable offence, disguise with intent, discharge firearm and other weapons and motor vehicle charges.

The SIU told media on Tuesday night that their investigation will focus on one subject officer and four shooting officers. Meanwhile, Toronto police will investigate the initial shooting that left Barrs injured.

Peter Schilling, a surgical consultant who works in the building next door, was on the phone and looking out his office window, which overlooks the driveway where the shooting took place.

Schilling saw Barrs standing beside his car, which he'd just parked, when a silver Honda Civic pulled up "at a high rate of speed," and stopped at the edge of the driveway. A man wearing a reflective vest and a hard hat got out of the car holding a handgun and shot Barrs five times, landing most of the shots, said Schilling.

"There was an awful lot of blood, and it took him down, he hit the ground right away," Schilling continued. "He tried to get up, couldn't do it, and was crawling back towards the door of the office."

Schilling then saw the shooter head back to the Honda, get inside, and shoot Barrs once more. That's when a plainclothes police officer appeared, "almost out of nowhere," firing five or six shots at the car as it accelerated away from the scene. Within 30 to 40 metres, the shooter's car was boxed in by other vehicles, right at the intersection.

"The police presence within seconds was 20 to 30 police officers out of nowhere. Totally mobilized him, took him down," Schilling said, adding that most of the officers seemed to have come out of cars that were in the area and that they were holding automatic weapons and machine guns.

"It was a dramatic, both comforting and horrifically frightening thing to see," he said.

Barrs has a reputation in Toronto for being the go-to defence lawyer for people facing drug and gun charges.

Court records show Barrs has represented numerous Toronto bars and clubs in matters before the Alcohol and Gaming Commission. But aside from working with clients in the nightlife scene, Barrs has handled "many drinking and driving cases, and he also does a lot of drug work, grow op cases," said Anthony Moustacalis of the Criminal Lawyers' Association.

"Everyone's very upset and concerned, but the good news is from my understanding he's healthy and is not danger, won't need any rehab, and will be treated and released," said Moustacalis, adding that Barrs has a "good reputation for solid work and ability."

Barrs' own website outlines his experience in handling "complex white collar investigations to high profile drug and murder cases," and highlights his role as lead counsel in the Molson brewery grow-up case. Barrs represented farmers who were running a marijuana grow-op in a former Molson brewery in Barrie—the bust is still the largest in Canadian history.

Most recently, Barrs represented a client who was sentenced to 20 months in jail, ordered to pay a fine of over $2.8 million, and forfeit his family and business properties after being convicted of conspiracy to traffic and produce marijuana. The client, Tan Tien Nguyen, appealed the convictions and the sentence.

"It was partially successful, but the result was upheld on the sentencing side," said Moustacalis.

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