Police say that two March shootings outside Airbnbs in Mississauga and Brampton appear to be the result of an ongoing conflict between a pair of Montreal gangs that came to the region to steal cars.

The first shooting took place in mid-March and saw 22 shots fired into an Airbnb on Brickyard Way in Brampton, where six men from Montreal were staying.

Police say that no injuries were reported as a result. However, officers who attended the scene subsequently learned that a number of the individuals were allegedly involved in auto theft and seized “automobile key reprograms and numerous master keys for Dodge vehicles.”

Two days later another shooting occurred on Eteridge Court in Mississauga. This time 20 shots were fired at two males as they entered another Airbnb, resulting in non-life threatening injuries to both parties.

Police say that a subsequent investigation has determined that the shooting was “a retaliatory shooting linked to the first one” and that two Montreal-based gangs – the Profit Boys and STL Gang – are to blame.

“We were able to identify two groups that were involved in organized auto theft within our region. They traveled from Montreal planning on stealing vehicles in the GTA,” Deputy Chief Marc Andrews said during a meeting of the Peel Police Services Board last week. “As a result of these two shootings in the Region of Peel there were subsequently other shootings in the City of Montreal, one of which led to a homicide. The reason I bring this to the board is that we often have to hear the narrative that auto theft is a property crime. It is not a property crime, it funds and fuels violence by organized crime groups across the country.”

Andrews said that Peel police were ultimately able to identify four suspects in connection with the two shootings, in coordination with Montreal and Toronto police.

He said that search warrants were executed on April 5 and 6, resulting in the arrest of all four parties and the seizure of a significant quantity of cocaine and fentanyl as well as materials related to the production of fraudulent identification.

Peel Regional Police Chief Nishan Duraiappah said during the April 21 police board meeting that the incidents underscore the seriousness of the string of car thefts that have plagued the GTA. 

“Auto Theft is the third greatest source of revenue for organized crime,” he said. “Obviously there is the on the ground tiers of it but its homicides, and shootings and violent crime and firearms as well.”