Shootings of 3 people 'mistakenly targeted' last fall appear connected: Peel police
Investigation includes high-profile shooting that killed Caledon couple and left daughter in hospital
Peel Regional Police and the Ontario Provincial Police are asking for the public's help as they investigate three suspected homicides in residential neighbourhoods last fall — in which they say the victims were "mistakenly targeted."
Police say forensic evidence from five shootings in total, which took place between Nov. 7 and Nov. 20 last year in different locations in Peel Region, suggest the crimes are all connected.
At a news conference Thursday, Peel police homicide Insp. Todd Custance said the investigations into the "tragic events and senseless acts" are a priority. The forces also released pictures of the suspects and vehicles associated with the shootings.
"We are determined to find the answers to the questions we all have, and arrest the perpetrators responsible for these crimes," he said.
On. Nov. 15, Peel police say they responded to a homicide call in the area of Royal Windsor Drive and Winston Churchill Boulevard in Mississauga.
Police say two suspects in a blue Dodge Challenge vehicle approached a business, then shot and killed a Brampton man. They identified him as 29-year-old Jagraj Singh.
"Investigators have determined that Mr. Singh was not the intended target and it was simply the wrong place at the wrong time," said Custance.
Days later, on Nov. 20, there was a shooting on Mayfield Road in Caledon, killing two and seriously injuring a third, who remains in hospital. Caledon OPP are investigating that shooting.
OPP Detective Inspector Brian McDermott said the locations of all the shootings "were deliberately targeted."
He said while the shootings bear "some similarities" to crimes involving extortion, they do not appear to be extortion-related.
"Two lives were tragically cut short and one individual has suffered life-altering injuries," said McDermott. "Our thoughts go to the families and friends of the victims."
Surviving shooting victim reacts
Police haven't publicly identified victims of the Nov. 20 shooting, but CBC Toronto has confirmed their identities. The victims are from the Sidhu family, who were shot on the night of Nov. 20 in their rented Caledon home.
Jagtar Sidhu and Harbhajan Sidhu, both 57, were killed in that shooting. Jaspreet Kaur Sidhu, their daughter, was the sole survivor.
Ever since the shooting, Sidhu says the family has been dealing with people pointing fingers at them with speculation about the circumstances.
"They made difficult times worse for us," Sidhu said.
"It's a slap on their face," said Sidhu, who is still in hospital care after facing life-altering injuries from being shot at 13 times.
A few days before the shooting, Peel police investigators visited the victims' home for an "unrelated lawful investigative purpose" and spoke with several people, including the victims, Custance said.
"At that time, the Peel Regional Police and the officers did not have any any reason to believe the residents of that home were in danger," he said.
Sidhu says she has a hard time believing that.
"I have questions about the incompetence of the police," she said. "If the location had been targeted, we should have been informed. We would have left."
OPP say they believe they've identified the intended target of the shooting. In an email to CBC Toronto, police say they are in "contact" with them and have "taken the necessary steps for their safety."
McDermott said a possible suspect was seen entering an allegedly stolen black Dodge RAM 2500 pick-up truck, fleeing west on Mayfield Road.
The vehicle was allegedly taken on Nov. 14 near Mississauga Valley Voulevard and Arista Way in Mississauga. Investigators are asking for help identifying a person of interest in that theft, and say the vehicle was found burned on Olde Baseline Road and Creditview Road in Caledon shortly after the shootings.
Fatal shootings connected to 3 others in Peel Region
As part of their investigation, police say they're looking into three other shootings where no injuries were reported.
The first, on Nov. 7, took place near Cottrelle Boulevard and Thorndale Road in Brampton, where police say two people fired shots outside a home. Investigators believe they left the scene in a black Dodge RAM 1500 pick-up truck.
The second happened on Nov. 11. Police said two suspects, dressed in black hooded sweatshirts, fired shots at a residence in the area of Lorenville Drive and Elbern Markell Drive in Brampton. This time, police allege the suspects left in a burgundy Dodge RAM 1500 pick-up truck.
A few days later, on Nov. 14, police say someone shot at the same home from inside a vehicle. Police said they fled in a late model silver Mazda 3 hatchback.
Police are asking anyone with information on the shootings, vehicles and suspects to contact investigators or submit a tip anonymously to Crime Stoppers.
"Your cooperation is vital to our efforts to bring these individuals to justice," said McDermott.
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