Toronto Police Officer Demoted After Failing to Act on Death Threats Report

A Toronto police officer's uniform is seen during a press conference in Toronto on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston

A Toronto cop has been demoted for failing to conduct a proper investigation after a woman called police to report her ex-boyfriend’s death threats three days before she was murdered.

Const. Anson Alfonso, who pleaded guilty to the tribunal charges, will have his rank reduced to second class constable for 18 months and must attend supplemental training for his role in the events that led up to 23-year-old Daniella Mallia’s death on Aug. 18, 2022.

“The circumstances involved repeated pleas for assistance from the complainant, a victim of intimate partner violence. The complainant had the courage to call the police for help, but she was not provided with the help that she needed and deserved,” Supt. Shane Branton wrote in his decision.

Alfonso and his partner, Const. Sang Youb Lee -- who also pleaded guilty to his tribunal charges and received a 12-month rank reduction -- responded to a call for a domestic incident on Aug. 15, 2022.

There, they met Mallia, who told the officers that she was “really shaky and jittery” following a series of texts from Dylon Dowman, her ex-boyfriend, who she said was harassing and threatening her over text message.

According to an agreed statement of facts, the text messages from Dowman, referred to as Mr. D, were “threatening in nature” and included one text message that “threatened the complainant with death.”

Although Alfonso first stated to the complainant that charges were “obviously” going to be laid, he later said the case was a matter of “he said, she said” after reading the text messages.

“He’s talking to you, giving you threats, and you’re like instigating him back on, right. It would be different if he was giving it to you and you just cut it and called us straight…” Alfonso said at the time, according to the agreed statement of facts.

The documents also show that Alfonso, who had been on the job for over three years at the time, warned Mallia within 40 seconds of their encounter that she could be charged “if she was not truthful when providing the information.”

After speaking with Dowman on the phone, Alfonso, the more senior officer of the pair, advised both parties to go their separate ways, according to the documents.

The tribunal noted that Mallia did not want Dowman to be charged and did not want to provide a statement, but hoped if she reported the incident to police, he would leave her alone.

Mallia was fatally shot in an underground garage near Jane Street Sheppard Avenue three days later and Dowman was charged with first-degree murder in her death.

The result of the criminal proceeding involving Downman is not immediately clear and wasn’t addressed in the decision.

In failing to charge Mr. D at the time, the tribunal documents state that Alfonso failed to conduct his investigation in accordance with the police force’s Intimate Partner Violence procedure, which states that charges should be laid in all cases of intimate partner violence where reasonable grounds exist.

“The victim of intimate partner violence called police for help. Instead of receiving the help that she should have received, she was cautioned and not provided the required level of service that the public expects,” Branton wrote.

Police Chief Myron Demkiw met with Mallia’s family following the shooting and issued a statement at the time that read in part: “Those who fail to follow procedure or to meet our clear professional standards will be held to account.”

According to the source: CP24.