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A man charged with second-degree murder in a North York shooting last week is a former Collingwood police officer and York University executive, CBC News has confirmed.
Michaelo Markicevic, 67, was arrested and charged on April 30, after Toronto police were called about a shooting in the area of Marlee Avenue and Glengrove Avenue W. around 1 p.m.
Police located a man, later identified as Daniel Stopnicki, 47, of Toronto, with multiple gunshot wounds that “appeared to be head wounds,” according to Toronto police Insp. Peter Wallace.
Stopnicki’s death marks the city’s seventh homicide of 2026.
Markicevic was a police officer with the now-defunct Collingwood Police Service, a spokesperson for the Ontario Provincial Police told CBC News in an emailed statement.
“It is believed the person in question resigned from Collingwood Police Service in 1995/1996, and therefore did not transfer over to the OPP when they amalgamated in 1997/1998,” said Ashley Taylor.
During his time as an officer with Collingwood police in the early 1990s, Markicevic was charged numerous times with assault, according to reporting from the Sun Times, a local newspaper based in Owen Sound.
In one instance, Markicevic was charged with uttering threats and assault causing bodily harm against his mother. The charges were later dropped after she failed to appear in court, the Sun Times reported.
In another instance, the Sun Times reported that a jury acquitted Markicevic of assault and obstruction of justice after he allegedly punched a man in the face and threatened a witness.
A review of public records by CBC News found Markicevic was also employed as an assistant vice-president of campus service and business operations at York University in the early 2000s.
York successfully sued Markicevic and other parties for defrauding the university with “numerous fraudulent schemes” that totalled over one million in damages, according to court documents.
“Over the period from 2007 to 2010, Mr. Markicevic held a senior and trusted position at York. He abused that trust for his own personal gain. He masterminded two fraudulent schemes, which he implemented through his subordinates,” the judge’s decision said.
Staff at the Ontario Court of Justice in Toronto also told CBC on Monday that Markicevic was previously charged with fraud over $5,000 and laundering the proceeds of crime, but the charges were withdrawn in 2013.
Stopnicki’s death a ‘tragic situation’: former student
Stopnicki was a “valued member” of Sheridan College’s advisory committee for its game development program, the college said in an emailed statement.
Raymond Trimm said he was a student of Stopnicki’s at Seneca College in animation and video game design.
“He was a good man and always was willing to help his students grow. It’s a real tragic situation,” he told CBC News in a Facebook message.
Markicevic is expected to be back in court on Thursday.
