Peel police say a 19-year-old suspect sought in an intimate-partner violence investigation in Brampton died of what appears to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound while barricaded inside a dorm at the University of Toronto’s Mississauga campus.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday morning, Peel Regional Police Const. Tyler Bell said officers initially received a call about an intimate-partner violence incident in Brampton at around 3 p.m. on Monday.
The victim in that incident sustained injuries, Bell said, and the suspect reportedly was in possession of a handgun.
Officers were attempting to locate the suspect when they received a call at around 9 p.m. about a possible armed person at a university dorm, located at 3330 Residence Rd., Bell said.
He said officers quickly “connected the dots” between the two incidents.
A shelter-in-place order was first issued at around 9:30 p.m. on Monday and occupants of the dorm evacuated the residence without incident.
“That is why our response was very heavy to get here to prevent the possibility of a mass casualty situation,” Bell said.
He said upon arrival, officers went inside to try to make contact with the armed man and multiple shots were subsequently fired by the suspect during that time.
He could not confirm if the shots were fired at the officers, but noted police did not fire any rounds during the incident.
“It is a fair assumption to suggest that there may have been shots directed at officers. We just don’t know that. That’s a matter of the investigation. They are going to look at the forensics,” Bell said.
He said officers were able to contain the suspect to a room within the dorm.
“It was quickly determined that no one else was inside and we slowed things down and were able to contain the suspect to try and engage in a successful resolution,” he said.
At around 1:30 a.m., officers entered the room and found the suspect deceased, Bell confirmed.
“It looks to be at this point we have an individual who was going to be wanted by police who found themselves cornered and made a decision to end their life,” Bell said, noting his comment was just speculation until a full investigation is completed.
The province’s police watchdog will be investigating the police response to the shooting.
“As Peel Regional Police officers were in and around the scene at the time of the man’s death, the SIU was notified and invoked its mandate,” the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) said in a written statement.
No other injuries have been reported and there is no threat to public safety, the SIU said.
Four investigators and two forensic investigators have been assigned to probe the circumstances surrounding the incident.
In a social media post, the university confirmed that the campus is open Tuesday but classes will be cancelled.
Officials previously said that mental health and counselling supports will be available to those impacted by the incident.
“UTM recognizes that over the coming days there will be many questions from members of our community. Please know that we are here to support you and our community,” the university said in a statement.
“We will continue to share updates with you and the broader campus community as information is provided by Peel Regional Police.”
Police have not publicly identified the deceased man.
In the update on Tuesday, Bell also issued a stern reminder to residents not to interfere with active police operations.
“We saw many members of the public uploading images of the position of police officers during this active incident. This is a blatant safety concern. Doing so puts our officers in harms way and any potential victims or hostages inside,” he said.
He added that it is not uncommon for barricaded suspects to determine the location and tactics of officers by searching online for photos or videos.
“Fortunately, in this case, there were no hostages, but this does not change the fact that this is inherently dangerous,” Bell said.
