MILTON, Ont. — A Milton, Ont., man killed at his auto shop during a string of shootings across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area was remembered Tuesday as a valuable member of his community who was always “joyful.”
Shakeel Ashraf, 38, was fatally shot Monday afternoon, along with two other people who are in critical and serious conditions, Halton Regional Police said.
Police believe the same suspect was responsible for shooting and killing a Toronto police officer in Mississauga, Ont., and wounding another person not long before. The suspect died later Monday after being involved in a shooting with police in Hamilton.
Omer Ahmed, who worked at Ashraf’s shop – MK Auto Repairs – said his former boss did a lot for the community and would help fix people’s cars, even if they couldn’t pay for the service.
“He would always be in like a happy mood all the time,” Ahmed said Tuesday. “He would always be smiling, always joyful, always caring.”
Ashraf had been the family’s mechanic for a long time, and when Ahmed asked if he could work at the auto shop part-time while in college, Ashraf gave him a weekend job.
“It feels unreal, honestly, because … he didn’t deserve it,” Ahmed said. “It really hurts that he had kids – what they’re going to have to go through.”
A GoFundMe online fundraising page set up – and since disabled – by a neighbouring business said Ashraf is survived by a wife and three young daughters.
“He was integral to the Milton community,” wrote AG Law Professional Corporation.
They had raised $4,410 before the family asked them to take it down, according to the page. The funds raised up to that point will still be at the family’s disposal, it said.
The Event Ontario Softball Cricket League said Ashraf was a cricket player in its league and asked for all members to pray for his family and everyone affected by the shootings.
Shafiqur Rahman, a friend and customer of the auto shop, said Ashraf was very active in the community. He went to Ashraf’s house Monday when he heard the news and dozens of other people had gathered there too, Rahman said.
“It’s very hard (for the family) because he’s so young and so active and full of life, always joking and nice,” he said.
Other friends and well-wishers came by the scene Tuesday, with some laying flowers on the ground outside the auto repair shop.
In Mississauga, a steady stream of community members visited the site where where Toronto Police Const. Andrew Hong was shot and killed and another person left with “life-altering injuries” in what police are calling an ambush attack.
Tania Sukraj works at a nearby restaurant and said the shooting hit home because her uncle worked for the Toronto police. So many people’s lives have been forever changed, she said.
“I’m disgusted, disgusted,” Sukraj said. “These guys working in (the Tim Hortons), probably traumatized for life. The rest of the victims – my heartfelt condolences for the other victim that passed away and the rest that were injured.”
Tina Baldassi lives nearby and brought a small planter of yellow chrysanthemums.
“I felt compelled to come to pay my respect, first of all, and to offer something in the way of condolences and sympathy to his family and and to the police department, to the Toronto Police Department, of course, primarily, but also the Peel department,” she said.
Following the shootings in Mississauga and Milton on Monday, the suspect led police on a highway chase that involved officers from several forces, sources said.
That pursuit led officers to the Hamilton cemetery where Ontario’s police watchdog said officers shot the man.
Four officers, from both the Hamilton and Halton Regional police services shot at the suspect in the cemetery, the Special Investigations Unit said.
The SIU, which investigates police when someone is injured or killed when officers are involved, has sent a large team to the sprawling scenes with seven investigators and two forensic investigators, said spokeswoman Kristy Denette.
“There’s a number of firearms that have been looked at,” she said. “It’s not clear whose firearms sort of belong to who at this point … There are a number of bullet casings scattered throughout the scene, so it’s some time just to process everything.”
The suspect’s family was notified of his death last night, but they have not consented to the public release of his name, Denette said.
Peel Regional Police identified the suspect as 30-year-old Shawn Petry in its provincewide emergency alert on Monday, which warned the public of an “active shooter, armed and dangerous.” A source close to the investigation, who was not authorized to speak publicly, said the suspect is named Sean Petrie, 40.
– With files from Liam Casey and Sharif Hassan
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2022.
