Shootings of 3 people 'mistakenly targeted' last fall appear connected: Peel police
CBC
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 the shootings, 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."
Police haven't publicly identified the victims, but CBC Toronto has confirmed their identities. Jagtar and Harbhajan Sidhu, both 57, were killed in their home that day. Their daughter, Jaspreet Kaur Sidhu, survived the shooting.
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.
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