Police are asking for help in identifying the suspect who allegedly opened fire inside a restaurant on Saturday and killed a 25-year-old man, injured his father, mother, younger brother and employee.
Due to the shooting, emergency services in the area of The Collegeway and Glen Erin Drive were called before 7:30 p.m.
The area is inhabited among others by a large number Polish community, as well as emigrants from Eastern Europe.
Police said that an unknown man burst into the Chicken Land restaurant and started shooting at the staff.
The 56-year-old owner, his 44-year-old wife, his two sons – 22 and 25, and a 58-year-old employee were hit by shots.
Police said the 25-year-old had been pronounced dead at the scene. The remaining four victims were sent to special trauma centers and remain in a stable condition.
Police officer Danny Marttini told CP24 TV reporters on Sunday afternoon “The reality is this was a local establishment… family owned. This is something we take very seriously. Somebody died last night. We want to make sure that we find the person that shot this family and that employee. To the family, this is tragic. I don’t think I would want to be in their shoes. I don’t think anybody wants to be in that position where somebody walks into something, a proud establishment that they have where many people visit, and all of a sudden live fire is walking through their door. Scary, tragic, and something that we don’t want to see continuing.”
The police released a surveillance video showing the suspect, which she obtained from a neighboring pizzeria, showing the moments before and after the shooting.
The video shows the suspect standing in front of the restaurant looking inside. The suspect is wearing a hooded blouse, pulled tight over his head, with a surgical mask over his face.
A few seconds later, he leaves the frame.
The police believe that this was the moment when the suspect entered the facility and shot the victims.
The footage then skips forward, showing the suspect escaping from the restaurant.
When asked if this incident was intentional, Marttini replied “We’re not sure what the circumstances, but we do believe it to be isolated. Obviously, we’ll be looking into every factor possible to figure out what exactly happened and why it did.”
Marttini said the suspect was “a little trickier” to identify because he was completely covered up.
“So, we are asking that any individuals that were in the area and saw somebody matching that description, by watching our video, will hopefully be able to provide additional information,” he said.
Anyone with any information, dash cam or video footage is asked to anonymously contact the Homicide and Missing Person Bureau at 905-453-2121, extension 3205. Information can also be left anonymously by calling Peel Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or by visiting peelcrimestoppers.ca
Here you can watch the video with the suspect shared by the police