Premier Doug Ford said a recent home invasion in Vaughan that left a father of four dead over the weekend is another example of the “sickening” situation Ontario is in amid an influx of violent crimes, particularly in the Greater Toronto Area.
The premier spoke about the deadly shooting during an unrelated news conference in Kitchener, Ont., on Tuesday morning.
“It is heart-wrenching,” Ford said of the incident, which occurred at around 1 a.m. Sunday at a home near Andreeta Drive and Barons Street.
“This innocent man got his doors kicked in in the middle of the night... his (kids) are there, his wife, (the suspects) had a gun to one of his kids, he went to go protect them, and these scumbags shot him right in front of his kids. Shot him dead.”
York Regional Police previously identified the victim as 46-year-old Abdul Aleem Farooqi.
In a news release over the weekend, police said three suspects are wanted in connection with the shooting but suspect descriptions were not provided.
Police have so far not provided any additional details about the incident.
Ford said Tuesday that he has spoken with York Regional Police Chief Jim MacSween in the wake of the incident.
He also said that he spoke with federal officials over the weekend, repeating previous criticisms he has made about Canada’s criminal code.
“People are done with the crime…every single day, innocent people are getting their doors kicked in by a bunch of thugs, a bunch of murderers, criminals and you go to root cause, it is the weak criminal code that needs to be changed by the federal government,” he said.
“We are sick and tired of these thugs get out on bail. Watch, when they catch these guys, I almost guarantee you, they’d been out on bail for another heinous crime…It is absolutely sickening that Canada and Ontario is in this position. It is worse than the U.S. cities.”
In Toronto, there have been 1,857 robberies so far in 2025, though that is down more than 12 per cent compared to the same time period in 2024, Toronto Police Service data shows.
Ford said carjackings and home invasions have become commonplace, adding that it is happening “multiple times a day” and “every single night” in the Toronto area.
“This is where society has gone folks, they are defending themselves now. If you have a gun, you are a hunter, and someone is coming into your house to kill your family, they are going to defend their family. And they should be exempt,” Ford continued.
“I have a saying for the folks that are defending their homes: I’d rather be judged by 12 than carried by six and unfortunately my friend Aleem is going to be carried by six.”
Ford has previously spoken out in defence of a Lindsay, Ont., man who was charged with aggravated assault after allegedly confronting and critically injuring an intruder who police say had broken into his home in the middle of the night.
“It is a disaster right now in the justice system,” Ford said. “I am going to be all over the federal government.”
