09/13/2022
⚠️ ⚠️ ⚠️ GTA shooting rampage leaves two people dead, including Toronto police officer
A shooting rampage around the GTA Monday left two people dead – including a Toronto police officer – and several others injured before the suspect was taken into custody and pronounced dead in Hamilton.
Police issued a public safety alert for the GTA about an active shooter following two daylight shootings in Mississauga and Milton.
Peel police said that one person was rushed to a trauma centre following a double shooting which occurred in Mississauga, in the area of Argentia Road and Winston Churchill Boulevard, at around 2:15 p.m.
Multiple sources later confirmed to CTV News and CP24 that a Toronto police officer was shot and killed in that incident.
The officer was in the area participating in an unspecified training exercise for traffic officers, the sources said. It is believed that the shooting took place in the vicinity of a Tim Hortons where forensic officers could be seen coming and going.
Shooting rampage
Police said they were searching for a suspect described as a black male with a thin build and black hair who was wearing all black with a yellow construction vest. They said he was armed and dangerous and that it was “imperative” that anyone who spots the suspect or his vehicle – described as a black jeep Cherokee with licence plate # CLMZ 905 – call 911 immediately.
A short time after the first shooting, Halton police said they were investigating another shooting which occurred at an auto body shop at Main Street and Bronte Street in Milton around 2:50 p.m.
Three people were shot in that incident. Police said one of the victims was pronounced dead at the scene, while two others were transported to a regional hospital for treatment.
Halton police said they were looking for the same vehicle sought in the Mississauga shooting and that it was last seen near Appleby Line and Hwy. 407.
A woman whose child attends a nearby daycare told CTV News Toronto that the centre went into lockdown because of the shooting.
“The owner of the centre had called me and told me that there was an active shooter a couple doors down,” the woman said. “Very, very upsetting. Pretty emotional, actually thinking about it, because they don't really understand what could be happening with the police and such. So very upsetting, but thank god he was okay and they kept them safe, and I was able to come down and get him.”
Shortly after 4:30 p.m. Halton police said the suspect was in police custody.
Hamilton’s police chief said Monday evening that one person was fatally shot in a cemetery in that city in connection with the other shootings.
The Special Investigations Unit (SIU), which probes all incidents where police are involved in a death or serious injury – confirmed that they were notified of a police-involved shooting on York Boulevard in Hamilton involving a Halton police officer and have invoked their mandate.
Emergency alert
On Monday evening Peel police said that they were rescinding the active shooter alert.
“I just wanted to let the public know because I know when we issued the alert, that it frightens the public but as of right now, I can tell you that there is no threat to public safety, and we are in the process of retracting that provincial alert,” Peel police Const. Heather Cannon told reporters shortly before 5:30 p.m.
There is no word yet as to what led to the shootings.
There was a heavy police presence visible around a Tim Hortons location at the Mississauga scene Monday afternoon and officers could be seen consoling one another.
The head of the Toronto Police Association (TPA) – the union which represents Toronto police officers – arrived at the scene in Mississauga Monday afternoon, but police did not immediately confirm why.
‘UTTER SHOCK’
In a statement released Monday evening, Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie thanked first responders and said she is in shock.
“Like many residents across Mississauga, Toronto and Milton, I am in utter shock and devastated in light of today’s deadly gun attacks that claimed several lives and others in life-threatening condition,” Crombie said in a statement. “In the wake of this tragedy, I want to offer my deepest condolences to the families and loved ones who lost their lives in this unimaginable tragedy.”
Premier Doug Ford called the shootings “senseless.”
“Like all Ontarians, I’m horrified by today’s senseless violence, including the killing of a Toronto police officer,” Ford said in a tweet. “I’m so grateful to law enforcement for bringing this situation to an end. May justice for those killed and injured be swift.”
Police were expected to provide an update with further details at 8 p.m.
