Police in York Region are investigating after a 46-year-old man was shot and killed in his home in Vaughan early Sunday morning.
Investigators say around 1 a.m., they were called to a residence on Andreeta Drive near Major MacKenzie Drive and Highway 27 for reports of a home invasion. When they arrived, officers located a man suffering from trauma to his body. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The man has been identified as Abdul Aleem Farooqi.
Police say this was a targeted attack and they are searching for at least three suspects who were last seen wearing dark clothing and face coverings.
‘Something terrible happened’
Ehsan Malik, a neighbour and long-time family friend of the victim, told CityNews that he was concerned when he saw a police cruiser drive through the neighbourhood with its sirens blaring early that morning.
“I felt like something terrible happened,” he explained. “Then about 1:30 a.m. I got a call.”
Malik rushed over to the family’s home where he learned of the details surrounding Farooqi’s death.
He says three men entered the home by breaking a back door. At the time of the invasion, the home was occupied by Farooqi, his wife and their three children.
One of the intruders was allegedly armed with a gun and held one of the children at gunpoint, according to Malik. He believes an altercation ensued which ended with the beloved father of three being shot and killed in front of his family.
“As far as I know, he shot him twice: once in the stomach and once in the chest,” Malik added. “It’s terrible for the kids. They’re crying. They’re terrified.”
Other neighbours say they were shocked to learn of Farooqi’s death.
“It’s a shock, how are we going to be prepared for a thing like this?” said one neighbour who spoke to CityNews. “Nine years here, it was so quiet, really nice neighbours.
“This is definitely scary, it’s exactly the same family as I have,” said another neighbour.
Ford says suspects are ‘scumbags,’ calls for bail reform
Ontario Premier Doug Ford addressed the situation at press conference on Tuesday.
“This innocent man got his doors kicked in in the middle of the night,” Ford said. “And these scumbags shot him right in front of his kids.”
The premier went onto to say that he spoke with representatives from the federal government over the weekend about the situation.
“We need to do something,” Ford added while pointing to the criminal code which he described as “weak.”
“This doesn’t happen just once in a blue moon. This is happening multiple times a day, every single night across Toronto and the GTA,” he said.
Vaughan Mayor Steven Del Duca also expressed his condolences to the family impacted by the act of violence.
“Vaughan is a safe community and I will do everything in my power to ensure it stays that way – but we can’t do it alone,” he said in a statement.