Police have released new details about the deadly shooting of a father of four during a home invasion in Vaughan over the weekend.
The incident occurred at around 1 a.m. on Aug. 31 at a home near Andreeta Drive and Barons Street, in the Kleinberg area.
At a news conference on Wednesday, police revealed that at least three male suspects forced their way into the home through a rear door and then shot the victim after he “confronted” them inside the residence.
Police say that the suspects subsequently took phones that belonged to three different family members and fled the scene in a dark-coloured SUV.
Two of the phones were later found discarded nearby.
The victim, previously identified by police as 46-year-old Abdul Aleem Farooqi, was pronounced deceased at the scene.
“At this time, it is believed the house was specifically targeted for a robbery. We are still looking into any and all motives behind the robbery but currently we believe this to be based on monetary gain only,” Insp. Paolo Fiore said during Wednesday’s news conference.
“Mr. Farooqi was not in any way involved in criminal activities. By all accounts and from speaking with members of the community, Mr. Farooqi was well respected, a great family man and loved by his community.”
Fiore refused to answer questions about what the suspects may have been after, citing a need to “protect the integrity” of an “ongoing investigation.”
He said that a second home invasion involving three suspects, one of whom was also armed with a firearm, did take place less than 90 minutes later at an address approximately one kilometre away.
Two adults and two children were inside that home at the time, though no physical injuries were reported and the suspects fled the scene after the security alarm was triggered.
The two incidents have not been formally linked at this point but Fiore said that police are reviewing the incidents for “possible connections.”
Family members were home at time
Premier Doug Ford spoke out about the “heart-wrenching” Vaughan home invasion during a news conference on Tuesday, telling reporters that the suspects shot Farooqi “right in front of his kids.”
During Wednesday’s news conference, Fiore confirmed to reporters that “there were family members present at the time of the shooting” but he did not provide further details.
He said that Farooqi lived in the home with his wife and four children who ranged in age from four to 17.
“Witness statements from family members corroborated the sequence of events and confirmed the suspects’ actions inside the home,” he said.
Police did not provide any further details about the interaction between Farooqi and the suspects, only saying that he was shot after he “confronted” them inside the house.
Police also confirmed that a 911 call was made from inside the house.
“In the unlikely event that you find yourself the victim of a home invasion we are urging citizens not to take matters into their own hands,” York Region Police Chief MacSween told reporters at the outset of the news conference, which also included updates about a number of other recent violent incidents.
“While we don’t want homeowners to feel powerless we urge you to call 911 and do everything you can to keep yourself and loves one safe until police arrive. This could mean locking yourself in a room away from the perpetrators, hiding, fleeing the home but don’t engage unless absolutely necessary.”
Farooqi remembered as ‘hero’
Farooqi operated a furnace and duct cleaning business in Mississauga and was well regarded in the community, police said.
On Wednesday morning, Farooqi’s brother Naeem spoke at a subsequent news conference alongside Vaughan Mayor Steven Del Duca and said that Aleem “died the way he lived” as a “hero.”
“My brother was a very good man, a hero who died protecting his family. That is a man. That is a person who actually believes in family comes first and he did whatever he could and you know, three cowards came in and changed everything for our family that night,” he said.
Naeem Farooqi went on to say that a firearm was pointed at his brother’s children and that that he did what any good father would.
“I think Aleem died a hero, he died saving his family, he saw a situation where his children, his daughters were pointed with a gun and it is just devastating. I don’t know what he could have done differently.”
Municipal and provincial officials call for reform
King-Vaughan MPP Stephen Lecce paid tribute to Farooqi, sharing a photo taken two weeks ago at his community barbecue.
Calling him a longtime friend, Lecce remembered the 46-year-old as a decent, kind and generous father and community leader.
“We all know good people, but Aleem really would be one of those guys that you’d say was loved by everyone who knew him,” Lecce said in an interview with CP24.
“It’s just unbelievable to think that an innocent guy, a law-abiding man in the midst of night, could have to face such brutality at the hands of criminals. And it’s very sad. The community is deeply distressed.”
Lecce said his constituents are concerned and want action following a weekend of violent incidents.
He echoed Premier Doug Ford’s sentiments about the need for law reform, especially for violent crimes.
“We need deterrence to send signals and messages that if you commit crimes, there will be accountability,” Lecce said.
“(Criminals) are bought by police who do their job and do it well. Against incredible odds, they’re released back on the street to repeat and offend. And it’s just an unacceptable reality.”
Lecce said a petition launched by residents to demand action from Ottawa has already received over 5,000 signatures.
“We’re going to keep the pressure on, and we’re going to be relentless in demanding reform, because I don’t want another family to grieve a repairable loss. These are people we will never get them back,” the minister said.
“And I made a pledge to the (Farooqi’s) father that we will use every lever, every resource and every access point to the Government of Canada to keep the pressure on to demand justice for his son and for every victim of crime in this country.”
Vaughan Mayor Steven Del Duca is also adding his voice to the growing call for bail system reform, saying what happened to Farooqi was a direct result of the criminal justice system that “rewards repeat violent offenders with freedom instead of punishment.”
“As mayor, I am furious. I am disgusted. And I am tired of excuses. These tragedies are not random acts of fate,” he said in a statement.
“It is a catastrophic failure of public policy that too many leaders have lacked the courage to fix.”
Del Duca said he and Vaughan councillors can only do so much at the municipal level and urged the federal government to collaborate with provinces to overhaul the system.
“We cannot budget our way out of this. We cannot hire enough officers to compensate for a system broken at its foundation. Until the system changes and criminals are kept behind bars where they belong, more families will suffer. More lives will be lost,” the mayor said.
“Enough is enough.”
