Police vehicles and officers in Mississauga, Ont., on Sept. 12.Arlyn McAdorey/The Canadian Press
A Toronto police officer who was on his lunch break from training in neighbouring Mississauga was shot and killed at close range during what was described as an unprovoked attack – the first in a string of shootings that also left two others dead, including the suspect, and three people injured.
Peel Regional Police identified the suspect as 30-year-old Shawn Petry in its provincewide emergency alert on Monday.
Constable Andrew Hong, a 48-year-old traffic services officer, was attending a joint training session with colleagues from Toronto, Peel and York Region, when he stopped for lunch at a plaza near Argentia Road and Winston Churchill Boulevard in Mississauga around 2:15 p.m.
Peel Regional Police Chief Nishan Duraiappah said during a Monday evening news conference that Constable Hong – a 22-year veteran of the service and father of two – was shot at close range at that plaza, “in an unprovoked and, may I say, ambushed attack.”
A second victim was also shot and taken to hospital with what Chief Duraiappah described as life-altering injuries.
A photo of a suspect, who was wearing a construction vest and was believed to have fled the scene in a stolen, dark-coloured Jeep Cherokee, was shared on social media by Peel Regional Police in the afternoon, and an emergency alert was sent out to cellphones across the region. It warned residents of an “active shooter, armed and dangerous.”
A short time after the Mississauga attack, Halton Police received word of a shooting at a business on Bronte Street South in Milton. One person was killed and two other people were injured in that shooting, which Chief Duraiappah said was carried out by the same suspect.
The suspect once again fled, police said. He was ultimately located in Hamilton, where there was a final “interaction” with officers.
In a separate news conference, Hamilton Police Chief Frank Bergen confirmed the suspect had been shot and killed in a cemetery on York Boulevard, which backs onto Highway 403. He said the province’s Special Investigations Unit, which probes all cases of police shootings, was called in to investigate.
The SIU said their investigation involves Halton and Hamilton police officers.
“We as an entire police family … extend our condolences to the families and loved ones of all that have been affected in today’s tragic events,” Chief Duraiappah said Monday evening, alongside police chiefs from Toronto and Halton Region.
Interim Toronto Police Chief James Ramer said he met with Constable Hong’s family, along with Toronto Police Association President Jon Reid. Both expressed their condolences and support for the slain officer’s family.
“I committed to his family that they will have the full support of the Toronto Police Service every day going forward,” Chief Ramer said. “This is devastating news for his family and for all members of the Toronto Police Service and our entire policing community. We will lean on each other while we work to support Constable Hong’s family, and each other, in our grief.”
“Our members go to work each day in the service of others, often putting themselves in harm’s way,” Mr. Reid said. “Today we have a stark reminder of how this work can result in the ultimate sacrifice.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his thoughts are with those who knew Constable Hong.
“We’re also thinking of those who were injured in today’s shootings – we’re wishing you a full recovery,” he wrote on Twitter.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford also addressed the shootings on Twitter, saying he was grateful that the police brought the situation to an end.
“Like all Ontarians, I’m horrified by today’s senseless violence, including the killing of a Toronto police officer,” he wrote.
Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie described the shootings as an “unimaginable tragedy.”
“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 … My thoughts are with the victims in hospital and their families, and I pray for their quick and full recovery,” she said in a statement.
Federal Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair, who is a former Toronto Police Chief, described the shooting as a tragic reminder of the risks that come with being a police officer.
“It’s tragic. And I know how difficult it is for the policing community,” he said. “But particularly for his family and his community. The loss of an officer in any circumstances is tragic and these look particularly tragic. It appears to have just simply been an ambush because he’s a cop.”
“It’s a reminder I think of the risks that our officers face for us every single day when they go to do their job of keeping us all safe. And you know, this sacrifice of that officer, his family, I think should be grieved by the entire city, and will be.”
Mr. Blair made the comments to reporters Tuesday in St. Andrews, New Brunswick, where Liberal MPs are meeting for a caucus retreat.
With a report from Bill Curry.