Man dead after being shot in vehicle in busy Brampton plaza, police say

A man is dead after he was shot while in a vehicle in a busy Brampton plaza on Tuesday afternoon, Peel Regional Police say.

Police were called to the area of Bramalea Road and Dewside Drive for reports of a shooting shortly after 1 p.m., according to Const. Mandeep Khatra, spokesperson for Peel police. 

Khatra said callers told police that they heard multiple gunshots.

When police arrived, they located a man who was suffering from "obvious signs of trauma." Despite life-saving efforts, he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Khatra said police believe the shooter or shooters fled the area before officers arrived.

"Given what the information that we have so far, we believe this to be an isolated incident," Khatra told reporters near the plaza.

"Obviously, this is a very tragic incident. And it is a busy plaza. What's happened here is very unfortunate, but we can reassure the public that we're doing everything in our power to hold those accountable that are responsible for this incident."

Officers are interviewing witnesses and canvassing the area for evidence. Khatra said police have not determined a motive for the shooting. He said he didn't know if a weapon had been recovered.

Peel's homicide unit has taken over the investigation.

Anyone who has relevant cell phone, dashboard camera or surveillance camera footage, or who was in the area before or during the shooting, is being asked to come forward to police.

Police have contacted next of kin, Khatra said.

Shooting 'very unfortunate' and 'shocking'

Azad Goyat, president of the board of management for the plaza, said the shooting is a "very unfortunate" incident.

"We, the management, cannot bear that kind of incident in this plaza," Goyat said.

Amardeep Singh, a Brampton resident who lives near the plaza, said there have been a lot of shootings in Brampton but this particular incident was unexpected.

"Shocking, shocking. You don't expect that to be happening in Canada, right? It's a very peaceful country. We're part of the G7. And you know, this shouldn't be happening here. It doesn't matter whatever the reasons are," Singh said.

Singh said he goes to the plaza — "quite a busy spot" — often. He said it is a family-oriented area and he would like politicians do something to reduce crime in Brampton.

"This is not the Brampton that we have been seeing when we are growing up," Singh said. "We just want all these politicians, whoever these Liberals or Conservatives, whoever they are, fix this problem."