A Toronto police officer was shot dead in an unprovoked “ambush” before a gunman killed another man and left three others with serious injuries in a deadly rampage on Monday afternoon. The suspect was later killed in a cemetery following a standoff with police.
The attacks began around 2pm on Monday, at a Tim Hortons restaurant in the city of Mississauga, west of Toronto. Constable Andrew Hong, a 48-year-old traffic services officer, was on his lunch break from a joint training exercise when he was shot and killed at close range by the gunman. Another person was shot and left with “life-altering” injuries.
The suspect then fled in a black Jeep, leading police on a pursuit that spanned three communities.
An emergency alert was sent to residents, warning of an “active shooter, armed and dangerous”.
Later in the afternoon, another shooting was reported in the city of Milton. Shakeel Ashraf, the owner of an auto repair shop in Milton where the suspect was an employee, was killed and two others were injured.
Police eventually tracked the suspect to a cemetery in the city of Hamilton, where he was killed following a standoff.
Hong, a 22-year veteran of the Toronto police, is survived by his wife, two children and parents.
“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,” said Toronto’s interim police chief, James Ramer.
A procession of police vehicles, including SUVs and motorcycles, escorted Hong’s body from the scene of the shooting. A line of officers saluted the vehicles as they drove past.
“May Constable Andrew Hong rest in peace. A husband, father and hero, he and his loved ones are in my prayers,” tweeted the Ontario premier, Doug Ford.
Toronto’s mayor, John Tory, who called Hong a “gentle giant”, ordered flags to remain at half-mast at Toronto city hall, civic centres and other city locations.
“[Hong] was somebody that meant a lot to [other officers]” said Tory. “This is one of those kinds of things that just breaks your heart.”
The province’s police watchdog, the Special Investigations Unit, says it is investigating the fatal shooting at the cemetery.
“There is a lot to go through in the cemetery,” Kristy Denette, a spokesperson for the SIU, told reporters. “It’s not clear which firearm led to the death of the suspect … [and it is] unclear whether the person was armed and shots were exchanged.”
